Toronto Brain Bee Event Reports
2026 Toronto Brain Bee
The 2026 Annual Toronto Brain Bee competition took place at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto on March 27, 2026.
This year, more than 250 high school students from 57 high schools across the Toronto Area registered for the competition, with 203 students participating on the day of the event. Together with parents, teachers, faculty judges, graduate student volunteers, and organizers, the event brought together a large neuroscience community.
Students were welcomed by Professor Zhong-Ping Feng (Toronto Brain Bee Coordinator and CPIN Director, Department of Physiology). The competition was hosted by Sarah Eide (PhD, PSL), Rafi Matin (MSc, IMS), Davina Premraj (MSc, IMS), and Jonathan Monteiro (PhD, IMM), and judged by Professor Hong-Shuo Sun (Chief Judge; Professor, IMS; Departments of Surgery, Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology), Professor Meghan Chenoweth (Judge; Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology), and Professor Paul Whissell (Judge; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology). Throughout the three rounds of competition, 22 graduate student tabulators, together with the moderators, guided the competition and ensured the event ran smoothly. Participants also learned about Bright Lights in the Lab, a research-based high school summer camp founded by the Firefly Foundation. In addition, Yixiong Sun (PhD, CSB) and Muhammad Ali (MSc, PSL) presented their research projects, showcasing both basic and clinically relevant neuroscience research at the University of Toronto.
Following three rounds of intensive competition, the top three winners were announced, with Tessa Nitescu from Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute in first place, Velan Mangai Sivakumar from Glenforest Secondary School in second place, and Nick Kamali from Laureates Academy for Gifted Students in third place. As the first-place winner, Tessa represented Toronto at the 2026 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee Competition, held virtually on Friday, April 24, 2026, where she achieved a Top 3 placement. As a national top-three finalist, Tessa will advance to the Final Showdown of the CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at the Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN) Annual Meeting in Montreal, Quebec.
The Toronto Brain Bee recognized teachers for their continued support and contributions to early neuroscience education, including Sandro Almonte (Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute), Christopher Adams (Richmond Green Secondary School), Iman Kamali Sarvestani (Laureates Academy for Gifted Students), Sarah Strachan (Alexander Mackenzie High School), and Elizabeth de Freitas (Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School). Their encouragement helps students explore neuroscience and participate in opportunities such as the Toronto Brain Bee.
Many participants found the competition both challenging and rewarding, gaining a deeper appreciation for neuroscience through the day’s activities. They were also inspired by the enthusiasm and knowledge shared by University of Toronto graduate students and faculty members.
The involvement and commitment of graduate student and faculty volunteers were essential to the success of the event. Their time and care helped create a fair, engaging, and welcoming experience for all participants, while also strengthening the connection between high school students and the University of Toronto research community.
We thank every student competitor, teacher, parent, volunteer, organizing committee member, and sponsor for contributing to a successful, impactful, and mutually inspiring experience.
The Graduate Volunteers included (in alphabetical order):
| Muhammad Ali (MSc, PSL) | Jino Lim (MSc, IMS) |
| Xiaoyu Chen (PhD, PSL) | Rafi Matin (MSc, IMS) |
| Kamrani Doray (MSc, PCL) | Jonathan Monteiro (PhD, IMM) |
| Sarah Eide (PhD, PSL) | Melanie Niu (PhD, PSL) |
| Armaan Fallahi (PhD, PSL) | Davina Premraj (MSc, IMS) |
| Barbara Gundi (MSc, PSL) | Eesha Rehman (MSc, IMS) |
| Alicia Harracksingh (PhD, PSL) | Rehan Rehman (PhD, PSY) |
| Bianca Hill (PhD, IMM) | Yixiong Sun (PhD, CSB) |
| Chloe Ho (PhD, PSL) | Harani Uthayakumar (MSc, IMS) |
| Hsin-Yun (Angel) Hsieh (MSc, PSL) | Xianxuan Wang (PhD, PSL) |
| Yi-Syuan Huang (PhD, PSL) | Elizabeth Wilson (MSc, MBP) |
| Alena Ionova (MSc, MBP) | Xinyang Zhang (PhD, PSL) |
| Taylor Irvine (PhD, PSY) | Angela Zolis (MSc, PSL) |
| Madison Lees (MSc, IMS) |
The Organizing Committee: Zhong-Ping Feng (Committee Chair), Hong-Shuo Sun (Professor), Kaori Takehara (Professor), Meghan Chenoweth (Assistant Professor), Kathryn Manning (Assistant Professor), Paul Whissell (Assistant Professor), Sarah Eide (Event Planning Lead), Rafi Matin (Creative Team Lead), and Minyi Zhu (Administrative Lead).
Questions/Creative Team: Zhong-Ping Feng (Faculty Lead), Hong-Shuo Sun, Kaori Takehara, Meghan Chenoweth, Kathryn Manning, Paul Whissell, Rafi Matin (Student Lead), Angel Hsieh, Davina Premraj, and Jonathan Monteiro.
Toronto Brain Bee Sponsorship: The 2026 Toronto Brain Bee competition was sponsored by the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience, the Department of Physiology, and the Firefly Foundation.
