Social Psychologist

I am a social psychologist with a research focus on intergroup relations. I am interested in how social categories such as race and gender influence how we perceive, think about, and interact with each other. I use cognitive and developmental approaches to investigate how we make sense of social information at different stages of our lives, and how that information processing translates to our attitudes and behaviours.

 In addition, I incorporate critical psychological perspectives by considering how biases inherent in my own positionality, psychological science, experimentation, and society influence how we conduct research and interpret scientific findings. Across my program of research, I try to emphasize the importance of the perspectives and experiences of minority group members. 

Some of the questions I attempt to address in my research include: 

• What are the basic cognitive processes involved in developing and changing implicit bias?

• How do social categories such as race and gender shape our interactions with outgroup members?

• How can we use our understanding of implicit bias to inform interventions aimed at reducing prejudice? 

• How do we perceive and evaluate people that engage in behaviours aimed at improving or repairing relationships (e.g., apologizing or confronting discrimination)? 

I use quantitative and qualitative methods in my work. For example, I use:

• Questionnaires

• Reaction-time measures

• Thematic analysis

• Physiological measures 

• Behavioural coding 

I earned my B.A. at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and went on to complete my M.A. and Ph.D. at York University under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Steele. I completed my first postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University with Dr. Sylvia Perry and her Social Cognition and Intergroup Processes Laboratory. I recently completed a two-year postdoctoral research position at McMaster University, where I worked with Dr. Sukhvinder Obhi and his team in the Social Brain, Body, and Action Lab. 

My career goal is to find a position that allows me to pursue my research interests and further build my leadership, teaching, and mentorship skills. In the meantime, I continue to work on and develop projects with collaborators across Canada and the United States.  

Prior to my career in social psychology, I studied stage management at Sheridan College where I earned a diploma in theatre production. Although my stage managing days are over, I still enjoy attending musical theatre and dance productions. I am also a trained tap dancer.