Meet the Summer 2021 Team

Operations Team

Julia Allworth

Julia Allworth

Manager, Innovation Projects

Julia is a leader, innovator and “intrapreneur” who specializes in design thinking, collaboration and related methodologies that strive to design programs with students rather than for them. As the Leader of the Innovation Hub at the University of Toronto, she works with hundreds of students, faculty and staff on campus to improve the community’s campus experience. Julia holds an MBA in Global Leadership and a BA in Psychology. Julia has also served as the Secretary of the Council on Student Services and the Co-Chair of the Student Life Professionals community of practice at the University of Toronto. She has presented her work at various higher education conferences across North America and has written a book about the application of design thinking in higher ed to be published in September, 2021. Outside of her work, Julia is a single mom to 7-year-old twins Joshua and Victoria who are in second grade.

Kaitlyn wearing long pink earrings, standing infront of a brick wall

Kaitlyn Corlett

Senior Project Assistant

Kaitlyn Corlett (she/they) has a Master of Education from OISE in Adult Education and Community Development. As the Senior Project Assistant, Kaitlyn supports the communication elements, oversees the workflow and accessibility of design materials and supports project-based teams. She also helps to strategize how the Innovation Hub can continue to develop innovate ways to engage in projects by students, for students. Originally from Vancouver, B.C., Kaitlyn likes to be in nature as much as she can. Lately, playing video games with her friends from many areas of the world and working on her design and arts practice have been amazing to dive into during these uncertain times.

Johanna Pokorny

Johanna Pokorny

Senior Research Assistant

Johanna recently completed a PhD in socio-cultural anthropology at UofT. Her research was on how neuroscience transforms our contemporary ideas of personhood and mental health—as in what does it mean to think that our brains are hardwired or dynamic and changeable? Johanna joined the Innovation Hub as a design-thinking researcher on the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health project for which she translated student experiences into insights about how to create a culture of caring at UofT. This past summer, as the Ethnography and Insights Team Lead, Johanna led teams in the application of insight-driven analysis and ethnographic inquiry, a methodology uniquely suited to understanding today’s complex social issues. As Senior Research Assistant, Johanna continues to guide teams in transforming their research into strategic approaches to improving the UofT student experience. In her research and work with the Innovation Hub, Johanna is curious about the future of the university, education and knowledge, and how these continue to change with contemporary societal needs.

Georgia is outside, smiling towards the camera and wearing. a dark blue shirt.

Georgia Maxwell

Senior Research Assistant

Georgia Maxwell recently completed her MA of English Literature at U of T and holds a Joint Honours BA in Anthropology and English from McGill University. Georgia previously worked as a User- Experience Design Researcher at a Big Five bank, and is excited to use her skills and knowledge to help improve life at U of T for both students and instructors. As the Senior Research Assistant for the Transforming the Instructional Landscape (TIL) team, Georgia oversees this ongoing research that is aimed at improving learning environments at the university. Outside of the Innovation Hub, Georgia loves to read, write and (occasionally) run!

Sabrina standing outside with the ocean in the background, wearing a colourful scarf

Sabrina Wu

Senior Research Assistant

Sabrina Wu is a Masters student in Sociocultural Linguistic Anthropology at UofT and holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, English, and Book and Media Studies from UofT. Her research interests lie in storytelling in everyday conversations. She is excited to be using qualitative research methods to understand and improve student experiences through their narratives. As a Senior Research Assistant, she will be leading design research projects such as Accessibility and Classroom Accommodation, Rotman Commerce, University Mandated Leave of Absence Policy (UMLAP), and Trans and Nonbinary Student Experience. Having grown up in British Columbia, Sabrina loves being immersed in nature as much as possible. Outside of work, she also enjoys drawing, playing the ukulele, and reading.

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Mac Morgan

UTQAP Project Coordinator

Mac Morgan is a PhD Candidate in Psychology whose research interests lie at the intersection between student life, technology, and well-being. As a research coordinator for the Innovation Hub, Mac leads a group of researchers assessing the student experience within several UofT departments. While not working at the Innovation Hub Mac conducts research at Georgetown University and enjoys running, biking, and working with ceramics.

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Danielle Baillargeon

Data Analysis Lead

Danielle Baillargeon is a PhD student in the Department of the Study of Religion, whose research focuses on grief and bereavement in ancient religions. Danielle is fascinated by how individuals understand emotions, how they express them, and they use them to articulate their sense of identity and community. This is her second year at the iHub as the Data Analysis Lead. Danielle supports the iHub research teams in the data analysis and archiving process. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Danielle loves houseplants and has turned her condo into a tropical jungle.

Ecem smiling to the camera wearing a green long sleeved shirt

Ecem Sungur

Communications Specialist

Ecem Sungur is a Lester B. Pearson scholar and ambitious architecture student at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. Believing that design is formed through diligent thinking, drafting, and adapting processes, she aspires to analyze and work on emerging technologies that can shape the future of design innovation. At the Innovation Hub, she aims to apply design thinking concepts to leadership, improve her professional profile as a globally oriented and interpersonal individual, and contribute to design production. Outside of school, work, and all-nighters, Ecem enjoys dancing, baking, playing the violin, and bringing her design ideas to life.

Communications Team

An image of Carla, with short reddish-brown hair, wearing a light blue coat

Carla Alexander

Content Writer

Carla Alexander (she/her/hers) is a second year Master’s candidate at the Faculty of Information, specializing in User Experience Design. She completed her Bachelor’s of Arts in Business Administration and History in 2016. She is excited to be joining the Innovation Hub as the Content Writer, where she will use her writing skills to share and promote the Innovation Hub’s various projects. She is passionate about using participatory design to improve the lives of UofT students. During her free time, Carla enjoys writing short stories, travelling, and playing video games.

Vlada smiling, looking off to the side in a brightly lit studio

Vlada Gorchkova

Digital Storyteller

Vlada is a MI student at U of T’s iSchool, specializing in User Experience Design and Human-Centred Data Science. With a background in Cognitive Science and Psychology, she is excited to help collaborate with an incredible team to develop and curate graphics and other digital content to enable those that engage with the Innovation Hub to fully understand and empathize with the stories of students being told. Outside of school and work, Vlada loves perfecting her recipe for a perfect pizza, listening to music, and creating digital art.

Natalie Ng

Natalie Ng

Digital Storyteller

Natalie Ng is a fourth year student studying Communication, Culture, Information & Technology (CCIT), and Art & Art History at UTM. She is excited to take on the role as Digital Storyteller at the Innovation Hub with the Communications Team. She is motivated to contribute her creativity with a focus on human-centered design thinking with all the incredibly talented individuals in the team. She is an avid figure skating fan and loves creating illustrations on her spare time.

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Jennifer Sparks

Redefining Traditional Project Lead

Data Analysis Team

Spencer smiling in front of a wood wall.

Spencer Ki

Writer & Editor

Spencer is a final-year undergraduate student double majoring in Physics and Statistics with a Mathematics minor. As the Writer & Editor, he supports the Innovation Hub’s impactful research by overseeing all of the projects’ written deliverables and ensuring that they are articulated consistently, clearly, and accessibly. He wholeheartedly believes in a university experience crafted by and for students, and is proud to contribute to the iHub’s mission “to improve campus life through student-centric design.” When not typing up iHub documents, Spencer can be found typing up news articles, satire pieces, short stories, and code to cheat at math puzzles with.

Robin-Martin

Robin Martin

Data Coding Lead

Robin is a second year Master of European and Russian Affairs candidate and holds a BA with a double major in Women and Gender Studies and International Relations from UofT. Currently, she is the Data Coding Lead at the Innovation Hub and supports the research teams in the data archiving process. With a background in policy and equity-minded research styles, Robin is excited to use her experience to support the research teams throughout the data coding and analysis process. Outside of school and work, Robin enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and watching too many films.

Project Teams