Welcome to my website. I am a theoretical psychologist and writer based in Toronto. My work draws on psychology, phenomenology, literature, and psychoanalysis.
Here you will find my academic publications, essays, lectures, and interviews, as well as information about my online reading group and occasional seminars. I share some of my work through Substack and YouTube.
Academic and Professional Experience
| 2023–present | Director of Editorial | Our Kids Media, Mississauga, ON, Canada |
| 2022–2023 | Field Director | Brendan Wood Intl., Toronto, ON, Canada |
| 2021–2022 | Research Analyst | IcebergIQ, Toronto, ON, Canada |
| 2016–2021 | Assistant Professor of Psychology | University of Macau, Macao S.A.R., China |
| 2015–2016 | Postdoctoral Research Fellow | Leiden University, the Netherlands |
| 2015 | Course Instructor, History of Psychology | University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada |
| 2014 | Visiting Researcher | University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria |
Books
| 2022 | Experimental Psychology: Ambitions & Possibilities. Co-edited with Jaan Valsiner. Springer. |
| 2019 | Experimental Psychology and Human Agency. Springer. |
For a complete list of scholarly work, see Publications.
Education
| 2011–2015 | PhD in Cognitive Psychology | University of Toronto |
| 2010–2011 | MA in Cognitive Psychology | University of Toronto |
| 2007–2010 | BSc in Psychology | Trent University |
Selected Awards and Fellowships
| 2019 | Emerging Scholar Award, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau |
| 2016 | VENI Award, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) |
| 2015 | NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship |
| 2015 | Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, University of British Columbia |
| 2014 | Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement (CGS-MSFSS), NSERC |
| 2012 | Alexander Graham Bell Doctoral Scholarship, NSERC |
Great Ideas in Psychology
Great Ideas in Psychology is a series of 20 lectures I recorded during the winter of 2022. Each episode offers a self-contained introduction to a foundational topic, influential thinker, or enduring debate in psychology. Selected lectures include:
- The Psychology Lab: the Uses and Misuses of Experimentation
- The Freudian Unconscious
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Lev Vygotsky & the Zone of Proximal Development
- Attachment
- Personality Traits
- Conformity to Group Norms
- Multicultural Psychology
- Evolutionary Psychology
Conversations and Interviews
I have participated in the following conversations and interviews:
- Gregory Sadler’s Ideas That Matter Conversation Series: A discussion of reading, dialogue, and intellectual life.
- Gregory Sadler’s Ideas That Matter Reversed: A discussion about Dr. Sadler’s philosophical and educational projects, social media, workspaces, and related topics.
- Cadell Last’s Philosophy Portal: A discussion of my book Experimental Psychology and Human Agency and related topics.
- O.G. Rose Conversations with Daniel Garner: A conversation about the concept of interest.
- Rahul Sam’s Podcast: A conversation about reading Byung-Chul Han and related topics.
- Andrew Taggart’s Second Axial Age: A discussion of awakening, wisdom, love, and other unusual topics.
- Javier Rivera’s Drunk Interviews Series: A casual conversation about engagement with social media and philosophy.
- Adam Ahmed’s Epistik Podcast: A discussion of books, decision-making, and emotion.
- Lisa Pfau’s Breathe In, Write Out Podcast: A discussion of writing and play.