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The Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Carolyn Baer
carolyn.baer@algomau.ca | CV | Bluesky | Twitter | OSF
Carolyn is the director of the Centre for Developing Minds and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Algoma University in Brampton. She earned a PhD from the University of British Columbia and BA and MASc degrees from the University of Waterloo. She held postdoctoral appointments at the University of California, Berkeley and Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
Outside of the lab, Carolyn enjoys reading, decorating, baking, eating good food, and soaking up any sunshine she can get her hands on.
Lab Manager
Tia Kleiner
Tia is the manager of the Centre for Developing Minds. She earned her BA in psychology from York University and is interested in children’s cognitive and social development, particularly how they reason about ownership, morality, and cooperation. She is especially curious about how ownership perceptions influence children's willingness to collaborate and revise their beliefs in social interactions.
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Outside of the lab, Tia enjoys playing tennis, reading, and spending time with her dog, Oscar.
Research Assistants
Navdeep Kaur
Navdeep's research interests revolve around developmental psychology, particularly the cognitive and social development of children. She is curious about how preschool and elementary school children think, learn, and navigate their world. She is also drawn to exploring the factors that shape their developmental journey. It is like uncovering the building blocks of who we are and how we grow.
Outside of research, Navdeep loves immersing myself in novels that take her to different worlds and playing basketball, which keeps her energized and focused. Whether it’s on the court or with a book, she is always looking for ways to stay active, inspired, and engaged.
Manmeet Singh
Manmeet is fascinated by the brilliance of young minds and how children navigate the unfamiliar, solve problems, and build connections. His research interests explore how children use cognitive anchors in new environments, the surprising ways music shapes thinking, and how emotional intelligence influences children's growth. He is also drawn to questions that bridge psychology and creativity, uncovering the mechanisms that drive learning and imagination in childhood.
When he is not studying the mind, Manmeet dives into the arts. Writing stories, painting, and creating music are his escapes, and as a former musician, he bring a rhythmic curiosity to everything he does. Research and creativity are two sides of the same coin, both driven by a fascination with the unknown and a love for discovery.
Noopur Shah
"No journey is more fulfilling than the one that unlocks the potential within."
Noopur Shah is a passionate undergraduate psychology student at Algoma University, driven by her curiosity about developmental psychology and the transformative power of early education. With hands-on experience designing engaging activities for children, she focuses her research interests on cognitive growth, learning processes, and social development.
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In her free time, Noopur expresses her creativity through drawing and dancing, while also finding inspiration in books. She enjoys connecting with diverse communities, leveraging her multilingual abilities (English, Hindi, and Gujarati), and cultivating her artistic and academic pursuits.
Alessandra Pinto
For the past two years, Alessandra has been working towards her BA in Psychology. Through the course of her studies so far, she has taken an interest in learning about developmental psychology. Alessandra enjoys learning about how individual differences in perception and cognition shape people’s experiences, and she is looking forward to applying the research skills she has learned to her work at The Centre for Developing Minds.
Alessandra appreciates spending time with her loved ones, being outdoors, and occasionally playing video games.
Arya Karki
Arya is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology at Algoma University. She has always been interested in social psychology and wishes to explore how it can be applied to developmental psychology. Her research interests include how children process and manage emotions, navigate relationships, and develop a sense of identity. She's also fascinated by how children form beliefs about the world and how they evolve over time.
Outside of academics, she usually spends her free time relaxing at home or somewhere peaceful listening to music. She loves watching psychological thrillers and mystery dramas during the holidays, as they reflect the complex human behaviours she studies. One of her lifelong goals is to travel the world and experience its diverse cultures and stories.
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Lab Alumni
Priyanka, Research Assistant (Winter 2025 - Spring 2025)