The Luke Lab team consists of graduate students and research assistants. Typically, graduate students are with the lab for about two years while they complete their Masters degree at Brock.

Nicole Luke

Assistant Professor

Nicole is a behaviour analyst who specializes in the strategic science of instruction for both adult and child learners. She completed her doctoral degree in Education and Applied Behavior Analysis and her Master’s degree in Special Education at Columbia University. She has worked in both clinical and educational settings and consulted to a variety of organizations in North America, Europe, and Asia. Nicole is guided by a belief that scientific findings can improve the quality of educational systems and, through those systems, contribute to an improved quality of life for all the members of her communities–both large and small scale. She has published research articles and a book chapter, provided trainings for educators, parents and clinicians, and presented at many national and international conferences. Her research interests include organizational behaviour management, teaching and leadership from an operant perspective, instructional design, and verbal behaviour development. And she is currently exploring the use of virtual reality in her work as a strategic scientist of instruction.

Nicole can be reached via email: nluke@brocku.ca

Ahmet Demirden

visiting research fellow

Ahmet is a behavioral psychologist who is currently investigating the behavioral mechanisms of rapport building aspect of investigating interviews. He competed his MADS degree at Brock University and doctoral degree in psychology at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Forensic Psychology at Turkish National Police Academy (University). He has drafted and delivered many in-service training programs in line with the broader topics of behavioral psychology for national and international law enforcement agencies, including Turkish National Police Service, CEPOL, INTERPA, CEPOL, and the UN. He has taken part in Türkiye-EU Counter Terrorism Projects as an expert for over six years. As a former police officer, Ahmet is a strong advocate of the integration of behavioral research findings in the refinement of soft skills in policing. He has published research articles, book chapters and presented at many international conferences. His research interest include organizational behaviour management, leadership in value based policing from an operant perspective. And he is currently exploring the use of virtual reality in enhancing the effectiveness of investigative interview training. 

Dr. Demirden can be reached via email at ahmet.demirden@pa.edu.tr 

Mehakpreet Mahey

MA Student

Mehak completed her Master of Education in Developmental Psychology at the University of Toronto in 2020. Prior to her Masters, Mehak completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Criminology at the University of Toronto in 2019. She is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Applied Disability Studies at Brock University, with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis. Mehak has experience working with children with developmental and intellectual disabilities in both recreational and clinical settings, in addition to experience working in pharmaceuticals. Her previous research has revolved around looking at the impact of burnout and compassion fatigue on individuals’ mental health. While at Brock University, Mehak has worked with Dr. Nicole Luke on the Canada Games research project. In the upcoming year, she looks forward to pursuing her own research interests, such as exploring the delivery of mental health services in virtual reality for therapists’ experience burnout and compassion fatigue using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

If you are interested in participating in Therapist Mental Wellbeing research, please contact Mehak. Mehak can be reached via email: mm15wb@brocku.ca

Joseph Yengnamenga

MA Student

I completed my undergrad studies at University of Education Winneba, Ghana. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Community Based Rehabilitation and Disability Studies. 

I am an advocate for persons with disability, especially persons who are deaf or hearing impaired. I have volunteered and worked with Wa School for the Deaf, in Ghana, for six years in various capacities as a resource teacher or a sign language interpreter. 

I have attended and presented at several conferences that seek to promote inclusion, integration, equal participation, empowerment, capacity building, fulfilling livelihood, general accessibility, and significant others that are integral to persons with disability.

I am passionate about understanding different patterns of behaviour and how they interact with the environment. This enthusiasm has motivated my pursuit of Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis at Brock University under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Luke.

If you are interested in participating in research on math skills in Virtual Reality for people with learning delays, please contact me at jy21pu@brocku.ca.   

Joseph Bognar

MA Student

My name is Joey Bognar, and I am a first year MA student in the Applied Disability LDCC program. I have cerebral palsy and a non-verbal learning disability.  I graduated from the Bachelor of Community Development Degree at Humber College in April 2023 with honors. I am excited to begin my MA degree in a field that I am deeply passionate about.

I have a background in social work and disability awareness. I have spent summers volunteering at local senior centres and worked at a virtual mental health firm called Healing Connection for my work integrated placement at Humber College. Outside of school I am an avid video game player. I like to play Call of Duty, Super Smash Bros, Uncharted, Spider Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Street Fighter.  I enjoy playing these games the most because I can strengthen friendships and build close relationships with my family members.

 For my MA thesis project in Applied Disability Studies, I want to research whether video games can increase social interactions between both able and disabled people. I want to create an even playing field for people with disabilities so that they can share a common interest with able people. Video games lead me to become accepted by my peers and I was also able to strengthen current relationships with my friends and family. I think that video games can support other people with disabilities in developing their social skills and provide a sense of confidence in spreading their wings.

If you are interested in participating in research on video gaming for people with disabilities, please contact me at xk23eu@brocku.ca.   

Gifty Owusu

Research assistant

Gifty holds a Bachelor’s degree in Disability and Rehabilitation Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. She graduated with honours in 2017 and completed her Master of Arts in Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis at Brock University, Canada, in 2024. She worked under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Luke and hopes to contribute to the overall improvement of quality of life for persons with disabilities. Gifty has participated and presented at local conferences relating to disabilities and has an interest in working with persons with developmental disabilities. For her Masters thesis, she worked on training preservice behavior analyst intervention skills in a virtual reality environment. Gifty is interested in using innovative ways for intervention services.

If you are interested in reading about Gifty’s research you can access an article she wrote here: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/11/1228

Gifty can be reached via email: gl20wu@brocku.ca

Qi Wan

Research Assistant

Qi is a Master’s student in the Department of Applied Disability Studies (Leadership, Diversity, Community, and Culture specialization) at Brock University. She joined Dr. Luke’s lab in September 2020 as a research assistant to gain more research experience and completed her MRP in 2023. Her interests in disability studies are broad and include examining the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and programs that promote family mental health and well-being. She is excited and honoured to be involved in this lab and work with such a great team.