St. Michael’s proudly embraces students across every field of study in the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto. This series profiles students in the STEM disciplines who are approaching their work in fascinating ways, and uncovers how St. Michael’s has supported them along the way.
When St. Mike’s student Taimoore Yousaf hit a crossroads in his second year at U of T, he turned to his community for guidance. St. Mike’s academic counsellors worked with him to construct an interdisciplinary study program that connected economics, technology, and cognitive science to better understand how people think and make decisions.
“At a young age, I had decided I wanted to do something related to STEM, specifically technology. I was fascinated with how different technologies continued to evolve. By the time I was looking at universities, I had developed an interest in economics. I wanted to learn how markets and systems worked,” says Taimoore.
He arrived at the University of Toronto expecting to pursue computer science. He soon realized he wanted to look beyond the code and understand the problems it was trying to solve at a deeper level.
“One of the biggest misconceptions in STEM, particularly in the more quantitative disciplines such as computer science and engineering, is there is a hyper-focus on technical skills and it’s easy to feel behind. This was what I experienced during my first and second year,” he explains. “I began to realize that the interdisciplinary nature of these courses was one of the most important aspects of STEM. The mix of different aspects from science, technology, engineering and mathematics could give you a wide breadth of ideas to form innovative solutions.”
He believes that an interdisciplinary approach is needed to address many of the complex problems arising in today’s society—including those posed by artificial intelligence, unstable economies and emerging technologies.
“I wanted to get behind the mechanics of the decision-making process. How do we arrive at the decisions we make? How can we leverage technology to determine the best possible courses of action, especially considering the time that we live in today?”
He applied this same problem-solving mindset to his studies, reaching out to the St. Mike’s Registrar’s Office to speak with academic counsellors. Their conversations prompted him to reflect on where his studies should really be headed.
“I didn’t feel like the first few years I spent in computer science were wasted, but rather an essential part of my academic journey. Those years served a purpose in developing my academic and professional skill set,” he says.
With the help of academic counsellors, he discovered that cognitive science integrated many of the components of computer science studies alongside psychology and philosophy—a natural fit for what he was looking for, combined with his major in economics.
As his courses aligned more closely with his interests, he began pursuing independent passion projects. He leveraged Model Context Protocol (MCP), a cutting-edge standard for AI integration, to build a framework that intelligently prioritizes an email inbox by simulating human cognitive load. Drawing directly on his foundational computer science studies, he used his technical background to bridge the gap between cognitive theory and functional software architecture.
“Some people find checking emails a chore and some people enjoy it, but these are the sorts of rapid decision-making processes we can turn into a system by breaking it down. That’s the nature of problem solving for me: looking at a situation and breaking it down into several pieces to arrive at an efficient solution,” he says.
Taimoore says that joining the St. Michael’s community has given him clarity throughout his academic journey. By attending campus events and joining clubs, he expanded his social network and his ways of thinking.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many people at St. Mike’s of different backgrounds and expertise, and it has truly broadened my worldview,” he says.
With graduation on the horizon, Taimoore says he has found his footing, and he didn’t do it alone.
“It really helps to be part of a community,” he says. “Everyone at St. Mike’s truly wants you to succeed and be the best version of yourself.”