Erin Knobl
Erin Knobl is a second-year PhD student in CHYS, working with Naomi Andrews. She completed an MSc in Rehabilitation Science and an MSc in Occupational Therapy, both from McMaster University and an undergraduate degree in CHYS from Brock. Her research focuses on children’s mental health within school systems.
Sydney Running
Sydney Running is a first-year PhD student in Child and Youth Studies, working with Tony Volk. She is interested in studying adolescent dating relationships and what makes adolescents appealing as dating partners.
Oya Pakkal
Oya Pakkal is a PhD student in PSYC. She completed her MA in PSYC and undergraduate degree at McMaster University. Oya’s research focuses on the social hierarchy, emotions, and social behaviors. She has been working with Naomi Andrews on a project relating to teasing and other social interactions.
Kirsten MacAulay
Kirsten MacAulay is a second-year MA student in CHYS, working with Naomi Andrews. Kirsten completed her undergraduate degree at Brock University in CHYS. She is interested in parenting, adverse childhood experiences, and children’s mental health.
Sam McMahon
Sam McMahon is a second-year MA student in the Social-Personality stream of Psychology under the supervision of Tony Volk. She graduated with her BA in Psychology at Brock University in 2022, completing her honours thesis research under Angela Book. Sam’s MA thesis is focused on investigating the personality core of the dark traits.
Amanda Huynh
Amanda Huynh is a first-year Masters student in Child and Youth Studies, working under the supervision of Natalie Spadafora and Tony Volk. She completed her undergraduate degree in Child and Youth Studies at Brock University. She is interested in studying adolescent peer relationships, personality, and anti-social behaviours such as classroom incivility.
Taylor Barker
Taylor Barker is a first-year MA student in CHYS working with Naomi Andrews. Taylor is interested in studying peer relationships, family dynamics, and parental influences on positive and negative teasing.
Patty Moss
Patty Moss is a first year Master’s student in CHYS, working with Naomi Andrews. Besides being passionate about helping children build connections with nature, she is also focused on developing a greater understanding of youths’ peer connections to create strategies for their mental health and academic needs in the school system.
Emily Dale
Emily Dale is a first-year MA student in the Social-Personality stream of Psychology working under the supervision of Drew Dane. In 2024, she graduated with her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Brock University and completed her honours thesis under the supervision of Tony Volk.
Kayla Lewis
Kayla Lewis is a first-year MA student in CHYS, under the supervision of Ann Farrell. Kayla’s interests involve bullying and aggression in children and adolescents, mental health and interpersonal problems including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
What opportunities are there for students in the BRAVE group? Between the four of us, we offer students a wide range of thesis topics. Student can also expect to work on group projects that cut across labs. While we operate as individual supervisors, we frequently collaborate on grants, projects, and papers. So in essence, if you work with one of us, you will have the opportunity to work with all of us!
What are we looking for? We are looking for individuals who are curious and motivated to study aggression and victimization experiences. We work with undergraduate and graduate volunteers and research assistants, as well as undergraduate thesis students, MA students, PHD students, and post-doctoral fellows. We can supervise students in both CHYS and PSYC, so we can accommodate a broad range of interests.
Where can you get more information? More information on the CHYS and PSYC grad programs can be found in those links. But perhaps the best source of information is to contact us. Both faculty and students are always interested in talking to potential recruits for the group. We emphasize the importance of having a good fit with the team so we think it’s as important for us to know you as it is for you to know us. The same thing applies with our students, many (if not all) of whom you will end up working with in some capacity, so they are always happy to talk to prospective group members.