Dr. Jennifer Khoury – Lab Director

In 2021, Dr. Khoury began her position as an Assistant Professor and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Interdisciplinary Studies in Neuroscience, in the Department of Psychology at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU). She also holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University.

Dr. Khoury’s research program adopts an interdisciplinary and multi-method approach to understand how early life stress impacts the brain and behaviour of parents and children. She is particularly interested in studying the impact of neurobiological stress and emotion regulation on child development, including child mental health outcomes, beginning in pregnancy and spanning to later childhood.

Dr. Khoury’s research program is funded by the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Research Nova Scotia (RNS), the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and MSVU internal grants.

Email: Jennifer.khoury@msvu.ca

MSVU Faculty Profile

Dr. Kiera O’Neil - Lab Manager

Kiera (she/her) has a background in cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on how experience shapes the neural systems underlying language and memory. Her recent work has focused on how early blindness impacts the language and working memory networks in the brain, the psychosocial factors that affect remote-work productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the behavioural and brain correlates of mind-wandering during technology use. She is particularly interested in knowledge dissemination and hopes to make science accessible to the public and to policy-makers.

When not in the lab, Kiera can be found coaching Junior roller derby, cooking for friends, hanging out with her cat David, and exploring the wilderness.

Email: kiera.oneil2@msvu.ca

Esther Puiras – Graduate Student

Esther is currently a research assistant in Dr. Khoury’s lab. In September 2022, Esther will begin her first year of an experimental psychology Master's degree at Dalhousie University, under Dr. Khoury’s supervision. She is focusing her thesis on the intergenerational transmission of maternal stress. In the future, Esther plans to continue conducting research with a specific focus on psychoneuroendocrinology and developmental psychology.

Lauren Giles – Graduate Student

Lauren will be attending Dalhousie University (MSc in Experimental Psychology program) beginning in September 2023, under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Khoury and Dr. Tara Perrot. She recently completed her BSc psychology honours thesis at MSVU, exploring dispositional optimism as a buffer in the intergenerational transmission of the effects of maternal childhood maltreatment on adverse birth outcomes.

Lindsay Heyland – Honours Student / Research Assistant

Lindsay is in her fourth year of a BSc in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. Lindsay’s plan is to complete her Honours thesis with the intention of attending a Master’s program in Psychology.

Josh Weatherbey (he/him) – Research Assistant

Josh is entering his final year of a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. Josh is completing an internship with the Research Ethics Office as their summer student. Additionally, Josh has held, and will hold, positions as a Student Marker in Psychology, and as a Mount Mentor to aid first-year students in their transition to MSVU.  

Outside of MSVU, Josh is currently volunteering as Vice-President of Aphasia Nova Scotia Association, a non-profit organization advocating for people who experience Aphasia and to provide community services, supporting them as they ‘relearn’ vital communication and language skills. Finally, Josh is currently planning his wedding, with his partner Liam, and will celebrate both graduation and marriage in the summer of 2023. 

Emma Becker – Research Assistant

Emma will begin the Master of Arts program in School Psychology at MSVU in September 2023. She completed her BSc Psychology (Honours) with a minor in Neuroscience at MSVU in 2022 under the supervision of Dr. Khoury. Emma previously earned a BA in English from Acadia University ('10) as well as a BEd Elementary from MSVU ('13). 

Rahne Forbes - Research Assistant

Rahne is entering her 3rd year in a Bachelor of Science degree in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University with a minor in biology. In addition to the DPRC, she volunteers with Nova Scotia Health and she aspires to dedicate her future endeavours to the health and well-being of children.

In her free time, Rahne is a runner, yogi, and she loves to spend time in nature and with animals.

Sarah Haggett - Research Assistant

Sarah graduated from MSVU in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Study, fascinated by child development. She has owned a local daycare since 2014, where her interest in child development has continued to grow. As a result, Sarah returned to MSVU in early 2022 to pursue her current studies of Bachelor of Science in Psychology. At the 2023 Science Atlantic Undergraduate Student Research Conference, she presented her research titled: Defiance, Compliance, and Gender as Predictors of Disordered Eating in Adolescence. In September of 2023 she will begin her Honours thesis and is excited to build on her knowledge in child development while combining psychology and her new-found passion for research!