Erin Knobl
Erin Knobl is a third-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 second-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.
Amanda Huynh
Amanda Huynh is a second-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.
Patty Moss
Patty Moss is a second-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 second-year MA student in Psychology working under the supervision of Drew Dane. Emily is interested in studying power, aggression, and peer relations.
Taylor Barker
Taylor Barker is a second-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.
Kayla Lewis
Kayla Lewis is a second-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.
Shentong Yan
Shentong Yan is a first-year master’s student in CHYS, under the supervision of Natalie Spadafora. He completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology at University of British Columbia. He is interested in children’s social development, especially prosocial and pro-environmental behaviour, and the role of family relationships in shaping these behaviours.
Sara Hossein
Sara Hossein is a first-year MA student in Child and Youth Studies, working under the supervision of Tony Volk. She completed her undergraduate degree in Social Psychology Research at McMaster University. Sara’s research interests include attachment theory and its relationship to the Dark Triad and antisocial personality traits.
Joseph Cino
Joe Cino is currently a first year MA student in CHYS working with Ann Farrell. He graduated from Brock with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Statistics. His research focuses on the broader social and environmental factors (e.g., income inequality, neighbourhood violence, school climate, etc.) that influence youths’ involvement in bullying. He also has a strong interest in quantitative methods and applying different statistical models to his research.
Mohammad Molaei
Mohammad Molaei is a first-year MA student in Psychology under the supervision of Tony Volk. He completed his BS (Hons) Psychology degree at the University of British Columbia. He is interested in examining the potential relationships between counter-empathy, Honesty-Humility, and bullying perpetration.
Julia Collin-Pereira
Julia Collin-Pereira is a 1st year Child and Youth Studies MA student working under the supervision of Dr. Ann Farrell. Julia’s research interests revolve around understanding the different dynamics and types of parenting styles and how they impact young people’s long-term development. She is interested in understanding what children/young people need from their parents to thrive, and how we can support parents in ensuring they can meet the emotional and physical needs of their children.
What opportunities are there for students in the BRAVE group? Between the five 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.