Department of Psychology Faculty

Instructor

ladams [at] langara.ca (ladams[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: C264h

Education: Laura completed her MA and PhD from York University in Toronto, Canada. Both were completed in psychology, within the areas of Developmental and Cognitive Processes (MA), and Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Sciences (PhD). She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology at University of Victoria.

Teaching interests/courses: Laura is thrilled to be at Langara teaching Introductory Psychology, Developmental Psychology (Infant, Child, and Adolescence), and the Psychology of Human Animal Relationships. Prior to teaching at Langara, Laura taught psychology and interdisciplinary research at other postsecondary institutions for over ten years.  

Academic interests: Laura completed graduate research examining orangutan cognition, perception, and social learning. Laura did fieldwork in Indonesian Borneo observing social learning of food sources and play behaviour in rehabilitant orangutans. Laura also conducted research with touchscreens and perceptual tasks, that served as enrichment for the orangutans at Toronto Zoo. Laura completed research projects on memory in older adults, and child cognition. Prior to graduate school, Laura was an intern working with sign-language trained chimpanzees. Laura is currently designing new research projects to study human and animal relationships with Vancouver wildlife.

Other: Laura loves spending time with her family and friends, baking, cycling, silly creative projects with her son, and enjoying Vancouver’s beautiful beaches and parks.

Instructor

nafshar [at] langara.ca (nafshar[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A264d

Education: Undergrad/grad degrees – UBC  

Teaching interests/courses: Intro Psyc, Neuroscience, Applied Child, Exceptionalities in Children

Academic interests: Neuroanatomy/neurophysiology, childhood issues/risk factors, disorders and treatments, relationship dynamics (couples/families)  

Other:

• CCPA Certified Canadian Counsellor
• Fluent in two languages
• Conversant in two languages
• Favourite activities: spending time with family and pets, sports, dance, traveling, reading

Instructor

jbarton [at] langara.ca (jbarton[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: C264m

Education: 

• BA Wilfred Laurier University
• BEd University of Western Ontario
• MSc University of Alberta
• PhD Clinical Health Psychology, Exercise and Sport Psychology, University of Alberta

Instructor

jbeadle [at] langara.ca (jbeadle[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: C264k

Education: PhD Experimental Psychology, The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behavior and Development, Western Sydney University
BA Honours Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University  

Teaching interests/courses: Julie is currently teaching Developmental Psychology (Adulthood and Aging) and Introductory Psychology.  

Academic interests: Julie’s research interests include sensory and cognitive aging, psychosocial dimensions of hearing loss, and communication in long-term care. In addition to teaching at Langara, Julie is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Adult Language Processing and Disorders Lab, University of British Columbia. In this role, she has been examining younger and older adults’ perceptions of hearing loss, hearing aids, and aging. In collaboration with Nursing and Audiology faculty, Julie is also conducting an environmental scan to promote effective communication for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and live in B.C. long-term care facilities.  

Other: Outside of work, Julie enjoys cooking, playing the violin, and spending time at the beach.  

Instructional assistant

cbyun [at] langara.ca (cbyun[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A266a

Assistant department chair, instructor

achen [at] langara.ca (achen[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: C264b

Phone: 604.323.5511 ext. 2531

Instructor

tchenier [at] langara.ca (tchenier[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: C264f

Instructor

fdastur [at] langara.ca (fdastur[at]langara[dot]ca)

• Education:
• UBC, BSC in Psychology
• Dalhousie University, MSc in Psychology
• Dalhousie University, PhD in Psychology

Teaching Interests/courses: Introduction to Psychology

Academic interests: Evolutionary Psychology; Perception; Human Factors; Virtual Reality

Other: Woodworking, exploring wild places, cooking, aviation, and space.

Instructor

kgooderham [at] langara.ca (kgooderham[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: C264i

Education: Kyle completed his BA in Psychology and MA in Psychology at the University of British Columbia. He is currently completing his PhD at the University of British Columbia with a specialization in cognitive science.

Teaching interests/courses: Kyle is currently teaching Introductory Psychology and Research Methods.

Academic interests: Kyle’s research seeks to understand in what ways health behaviours, including physical activity, diet, and sleep, contribute to cognitive functioning. His work informs on how lifestyle factors contribute to everyday experiences of cognition.

Department chair, instructor

cgreaves [at] langara.ca (cgreaves[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A264e

Instructor

sumeetjaswal [at] langara.ca (sumeetjaswal[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A264f

Instructor

njenni [at] langara.ca (njenni[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: C264l

Education: BSc in Biopsychology, UBC. MA in Behavioural Neuroscience, UBC. PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience, UBC (in progress).

Teaching interests/courses: Nicole is currently teaching psychological disorders, the exceptional child and data analysis. Nicole also teaches the introductory psychology courses. She also works part-time at UBC doing curriculum and program development for the (new!) undergraduate program in neuroscience.

Academic Interests: Nicole's research at UBC focuses on understanding the neural circuits that regulate cost-benefit decision making and motivated behaviours, with particular interest in how these circuits drive both normal and abnormal decision making (for example individuals with substance use disorders).

Other: Nicole is a big sport nerd, she plays baseball, and is an avid skier in the winter. She also loves watching MLB and NFL in her spare time (Go Jays and Rams! lol).

Instructor

rkirson [at] langara.ca (rkirson[at]langara[dot]ca)

Education: Ruth received her MA from Simon Fraser University and did PhD graduate work at both the University of British Columbia and the University of Oregon before joining the Psychology Department at Langara College in 1999.

Teaching interests/courses: Ruth's teaching interests include Introductory Psychology, Social Psychology, Health Psychology, Developmental Psychology and the Psychology of Leadership & Groups. She also has a special interest in teaching and learning technology and has been developing and teaching online courses for over 20 years.

Academic interests: Ruth’s research interests include the development of healthy individuals and communities with special interests in caregiver-infant interaction, language development, fostering resilience, and research ethics. She served as a Research Ethics Board Chair for six years.

Other: Ruth welcomes the opportunity to work collectively with colleagues and students. Outside of work, Ruth enjoys many outdoor activities (especially swimming) and travelling adventures with family and friends.

Instructor

elea [at] langara.ca (elea[at]langara[dot]ca)

Education: Erin holds an MA and PhD in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience from The University of Waterloo. She completed her undergraduate degree in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Western Ontario.

Teaching interests/courses: Erin currently teaches courses in Introductory Psychology, Research Methods, Statistics, and Cognition. She has previously taught courses in Human Memory and Behavioural Neuroscience. Erin is very interested in using newly developed online technologies to improve the student learning experience and currently teaches her courses online.  

Academic interests: Erin is currently studying the ways in which culture influences cognitive processing. She is particularly interested in exploring similarities and differences in how we categorize and remember information between European Canadian students and International Students from India.Erin’s previous work exploring the cognitive neuroscience of memory has been published in various academic journals including Neuropsychologia, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, and Psychology and Aging.

Other: Outside of work, Erin enjoys reading a good sci-fi/fantasy book, practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and spending time with her family.

Instructor

vlloyd [at] langara.ca (vlloyd[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: C264d

Phone: 604.323.5870

Instructional assistant

kmcbride [at] langara.ca (kmcbride[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A266a

Instructor

snumerow [at] langara.ca (snumerow[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A264e

Education: Susan holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. She completed her MA and Bachelor Honours degree at the University of Manitoba.

Teaching interests/courses: Susan began teaching at Langara College in 1992. Over the years, she has taught a range of courses including Introductory Psychology I and II, Developmental Psychology (Early Childhood), Social Psychology, Psychological Disorders, Applied Early Child Psychology, History of Psychology, and Developmental Psychology (Middle Childhood and Adolescence). Susan prefers the face-to-face format of teaching in order to readily engage students – whether through open discussions, group work, or class demonstrations.

Academic interests: Susan has always been interested in the field of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). As a graduate student, she worked at Toronto’s Clarke Institute of Psychology in their Autism Clinic. Upon moving to Vancouver, she worked with individuals with ASD and their families as a Behavioral Consultant. Today, she keeps current in the field by attending conferences when able. However, Susan quickly discovered that teaching was her passion. Susan has also been a regular guest lecturer for the Langara’s LEAP program for over 25 years.

Other: Outside of her academic life, Susan loves to travel, geocache, camp, hike, read, play mahjongg, and spend as much time as possible with her family.

Instructor

wpaylor [at] langara.ca (wpaylor[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A264f

Education: BSc Psych, University of Victoria; MSc Neuroscience, University of Alberta; PhD Psychiatry, University of Alberta

Teaching interests/courses: Introduction to Psychology 1115, Cognitive Psychology 2341

Academic interests: My research investigated the role of neural plasticity in diseases of the central nervous system such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

Instructor

jpoole [at] langara.ca (jpoole[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A264c

Phone: 604.323.5872

Education: Jennifer holds an MA and PhD from Simon Fraser University. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo.

Teaching interests/courses: Jennifer has taught a range of courses including Introductory Psychology, Research Methods, Statistics, Developmental Psychology, and Social Psychology. She has had a special interest in combining the best aspects of face-to-face and online teaching formats to create hybrid (or mixed-mode) courses. Now, she enjoys using new technologies to enhance student engagement in teaching fully online.

Academic interests: Over the years, Jennifer has conducted research in the areas of children’s empathy and prosocial behavior, and adult attachment. More recently, she has become interested in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, studying factors that enhance student engagement and performance, as well as student perceptions of learning in mixed-mode courses. She is also an author for the first and second Canadian editions of the introductory psychology text Psychology: Making Connections (McGraw-Hill, 2012, 2016).

Other: When not engaging with her students and being passionate about her teaching, Jennifer loves to travel, walk her dog, and sip a latte at her favourite local coffee shop!

Assistant department chair, instructor

lscratchley [at] langara.ca (lscratchley[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: C264a

Education: Linda completed a Bachelor of Recreation Education, an MA in Social Psychology, and a PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, all at the University of British Columbia.

Teaching interests/courses: Linda’s teaching interests include Introductory Psychology, the Psychology of Creativity, Social Psychology, Statistics, and Research Methods. She is very interested in active learning approaches.

Academic Interests: Linda’s previous research on the development and validation of assessment tools useful for employee selection and development has been published in various academic journals, including Educational and Psychological Measurement, Creativity Research Journal, and Psychology & Marketing.

Other: Outside of work, Linda enjoys volleyball, pickleball, cycling, skiing, dancing, singing, travelling, and attending theatre.

Instructional assistant

asowden [at] langara.ca (asowden[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A266a

Instructoritr

ujillopisanty [at] langara.ca (ujillopisanty[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A264b

Instructor

ovasileva [at] langara.ca (ovasileva[at]langara[dot]ca)

Instructor

pvelasquez [at] langara.ca (pvelasquez[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A264f

Education: Pocholo holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. He finished his Masters in Counseling Psychology and Bachelor of Science degrees from the same university.  

Teaching interests/courses:

• Introduction to Psychology 1215
• Psychological Disorders and Mental Health 2326

Academic interests: Help-seeking behavior (barriers and facilitators). Qualitative research: positioning theory, discourse analysis, therapeutic conversations, Rogerian therapy

Other: He is a member of the Research Ethics Board of Adler University (Vancouver Campus), where he is also an adjunct faculty teaching Research Methods and Ethics.

Instructor

alannahwallace [at] langara.ca (alannahwallace[at]langara[dot]ca)

Office: A264f

Education: Alannah completed her BA Honours and MA at Simon Fraser University and is currently completing her PhD at the University of British Columbia.

Teaching interests/courses:

• Introduction to Biological, Cognitive, and Development Psychology 1115
• Applied Early Childhood Psychology 2328

Academic interests: Alannah’s main research interests include learning, compensation, attention, and ADHD.

Other: Her other interests include skiing and hiking with her dog.