Welcome to the BOLD lab!

At the Brain Organization for Language and Literacy Development (BOLD) Lab, we investigate how children's brains and cognitive abilities develop to support language, learning, and academic achievement—and how this knowledge can help us create better opportunities for children to learn and thrive.

Our research spans basic and applied developmental science. We study the neurobiological foundations of language, cognition, literacy, and numeracy, examining how these processes are shaped by children's experiences and environments. We also design and evaluate educational interventions and programs aimed at improving children's learning and developmental outcomes.

Working with communities and research partners in Canada and around the world, we integrate developmental cognitive neuroscience, behavioral research, and rigorous intervention evaluation to advance our understanding of how children learn—and how we can better support their development.

Our Research

1. Understanding the Developing Brain and Mind

We investigate the neural mechanisms that support language, cognition, and learning throughout childhood, and how these mechanisms develop and adapt in response to children's experiences. By combining neuroimaging techniques—including functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—with behavioral and developmental assessments, we examine how brain development relates to emerging cognitive abilities and learning outcomes. Our research seeks to identify both common developmental processes and the ways in which different experiences shape children's developmental trajectories.

2. Understanding Learning Across Diverse Environments

Children grow up in diverse linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic environments that shape their opportunities for learning and development. Our research examines these influences across a wide range of childhood experiences, including bilingualism and multilingualism (both spoken and signed-language acquisition), poverty-related challenges, and displacement.

A central priority of our lab is to advance understanding of children and communities that have historically been underrepresented in developmental and educational neuroscience research. By extending research beyond the populations and settings traditionally studied, we aim to develop a more inclusive and generalizable understanding of how children learn and develop across different contexts.

3. Designing and Evaluating Interventions

We design, adapt, and rigorously evaluate educational interventions and programs aimed at strengthening children's foundational learning skills and developmental outcomes. Our applied research focuses on identifying effective, scalable, and contextually appropriate approaches to supporting learning, particularly among children facing barriers to educational opportunity.

We collaborate with researchers, community partners, and organizations around the world that are committed to improving educational opportunities for children experiencing adversity. Through these partnerships, we aim to generate rigorous evidence about what works, for whom, and under what conditions—and to support the development and implementation of evidence-based approaches to improving children's learning and development.

Where We Work