Reseachers

Samantha Burns

Samantha is PhD candidate in the Developmental Psychology Education program at U of T. She has expertise in research methods, such as qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods design, data collection and analytical techniques. She is interested in how early life experiences influence children’s developmental trajectories, with emphasis on early childhood education and care settings.

Calpaana Jegatheeswaran

Calpanaa Jegatheeswaran is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She is completing her dissertation under the supervision of Dr. Michal Perlman. The focus of her research is on how environmental risk factors and parenting impact low-income children’s socio-emotional and cognitive development during their formative years. She has also recently worked in the equity, diversity, and inclusion space, exploring how these constructs shape the experiences of children and their families within social institutions, especially the home and the school.

Ryan Luo

Ryan is a PhD student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. His research has three primary focuses: 1) the relationship between child care quality and children’s developmental outcomes; 2) the factors that influence the quality of child care (e.g., neighbourhood characteristics); and 3) the development of peer relationships in early childhood. Also, he has worked on a project studying the feasibility and accuracy of AI-supported automation of integrating evidence in social science.

As well as having both qualitative and quantitative research experience, Ryan has worked on a variety of meta-analyses and longitudinal survey studies looking at Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). He has extensive experience with data management and conducting a wide range of analyses (e.g., multilevel modeling, longitudinal analyses, and structural equation modeling). He is passionate about supporting young children’s development in child care settings by conducting rigorous research that can inform ECEC policies and practices.

Jesseca Perlman

Jesseca a PhD student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Her research has focused on (1) the sibling relationship in diverse families, (2) the mental health of parents and children within diverse families, and (3) professional development programs for early childcare educators to support the development of children.

Before beginning her PhD, she gained valuable experience working in childcare settings, primary schools, and research institutes. These roles in educational settings provided her with the foundation to understand the practical aspects of child development and education. Building on this foundation, she transitioned to a research-focused path and developed extensive skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, data collection and management, and data analysis. All her work and research have centered around supporting the development of young children, enhancing family functioning, and promoting the mental health of families.

Sumayya Saleem

Jesseca a PhD student in the Sumayya is a Ph.D. candidate in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the University of Toronto. Her focus lies in understanding consensus formation regarding 21st-century skills and producing empirical evidence concerning how these skills can be cultivated at various life stages. She is interested in applied quantitative and mixed research methods, and she collaborates closely with interdisciplinary teams and community organizations on knowledge mobilization initiatives.

Esther Yu

Esther is currently completing her Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE) MA program and will be starting her PhD in the fall of 2024. With psychology, statistics, and AI background, her research interests mainly center around mixed-method research, child development, the quality of early childhood education and care, and the application of AI to support children across diverse developmental contexts. Recently, she’s been involved in projects focused on measurement development and program evaluation, which are areas she is eager to further develop expertise in.

Petr Varmuza

During his thirty years’ tenure with City of Toronto Children’s Services, Petr was responsible for service planning and then management of approximately $400 million child care budget. In that capacity, Petr has led the development a child care service planning framework and the first intersectoral Children’s Report Card. He also served on the Ontario Early Years Expert Panel and advised on several Child Care Human Resource Sector Council projects. After leaving the public sector, Petr returned to University of Toronto and received his PhD degree in 2020. His current research activities focus on investigation of neighbourhood effects on quality of child care programs, child care funding and issues of equitable access to high quality child care.