Department of Psychology Faculty
We are a dynamic department of faculty members and instructional assistants with a variety of backgrounds in research methods, industrial/organizational psychology, clinical psychology, abnormal psychology, counselling psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, exercise and sport psychology, health psychology, and biopsychology.
Click on the + sign to find out contact information and learn more about each of our members.
Laura Adams
Instructor
ladams [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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.
Noushine Afshar
Instructor
nafshar [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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
Jim Barton
Instructor
jbarton [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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
Julie Beadle
Instructor
jbeadle [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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.
Crystal Byun
Instructional assistant
cbyun [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (cbyun[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: A266a
Angel Chen
Assistant department chair, instructor
achen [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (achen[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: C264b
Phone: 604.323.5511 ext. 2531
Troy Chenier
Instructor
tchenier [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (tchenier[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: C264f
Farhad Dastur
Instructor
fdastur [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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.
Kyle Gooderham
Instructor
kgooderham [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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.
Caroline Greaves
Department chair, instructor
cgreaves [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (cgreaves[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: C264e
Sumeet Jaswal
Instructor
sumeetjaswal [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (sumeetjaswal[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: C264h
Nicole Jenni
Instructor
njenni [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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).
Erin Lea
Instructor
elea [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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.
Helene Lestage
Instructor
hlestage [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (hlestage[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: C264c
Valerie Lloyd
Instructor
vlloyd [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (vlloyd[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: C264d
Phone: 604.323.5870
Kathleen McBride
Instructional assistant
kmcbride [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (kmcbride[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: A266a
Wes Paylor
Instructor
wpaylor [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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.
Linda Scratchley
Assistant department chair, instructor
lscratchley [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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.
Alexandria Sowden
Instructional assistant
asowden [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (asowden[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: A266a
Ivan Trujillo-Pisanty
Instructoritr
ujillopisanty [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (ujillopisanty[at]langara[dot]ca)
Office: A264b
Olga Vasileva
Instructor
ovasileva [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (ovasileva[at]langara[dot]ca)
Pocholo Velasquez
Instructor
pvelasquez [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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.
Alannah Wallace
Instructor
alannahwallace [at] rstdev3.zyns.com (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.