Director
About me. I am an assistant professor at Carleton University (Department of Psychology) and an adjunct scientist with the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research Institute (IMHR) at the Royal Ottawa Hospital.
After completing my Ph.D. (forensic psychology, Carleton University), I completed a four year postdoctoral fellowship, two years of which was funded by a Banting postdoctoral fellowship (Canadian Institutes of Health Research). My postdoc was with IMHR (Dr. Michael Seto) and the Karolinska Institute Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (KI) in Sweden (Dr. Niklas Långström). After completing my postdoctoral studies, I was a researcher at Public Safety Canada and Parole Board of Canada where I directed research studies in corrections and assisted in initiatives and legislations to promote evidence-base best practices for individuals with criminal histories until my move to Carleton University in 2022.
I have received the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) Early Career Research Award, the John Charles Polanyi Prize (medicine), and the Royal Ottawa’s Inspiration Award (early career researcher) for my research.
Students
Emma Holmes is a MA candidate in forensic psychology. Emma’s thesis involves the examining risk and protective factors for sexual abuse between siblings using a community sample of siblings. Other research interests includes the measurement of sexual coercion.
Serra Baskurt is a MA candidate in forensic psychology. Serra’s thesis examines the recidivism rates among individuals who commit child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offending through meta-analysis. Serra’s other research interests also include assessment and prediction of sexual violence, mentally disordered offenders, and cognitive distortions. Previously, Serra completed her BA (Hons) degree in Forensic Psychology at Ontario Tech University, where she researched the impact of empathy primary on rape supportive attitudes for those with psychopathic traits.
Gabriella Hilkes is currently working towards her MA in forensic psychology. For her thesis, she is conducting a thematic analysis of the family environments and life circumstances of adolescents who commit sexual offences against their sisters compared to adolescents with sisters but who offend against unrelated females. Gabriella has also gained research experience as a research assistant on the Forensic Research Unit at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.
Melissa O’Donaghy is a MA candidate in forensic psychology. For her thesis, she will examine risk factors for problematic Internet use. Other research interests include risk assessment, perpetration prevention programs and psychopathy. Melissa has also acquired research experience as a research assistant on the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre (SMSRC) at the Department of National Defence and as a volunteer on the Forensic Research Unit at the Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research.
Past graduate students
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Kimberly Mularczyk completed her Ph.D. specializing in forensic psychology and quantitative methodology at Carleton University in January 2023. Her dissertation centered on the roles of demographic, institutional, parole, and risk-relevant factors on the community reintegration outcomes of individuals serving federal sentences. Kimberly gained three and a half years of federal government experience working as a Research Assistant at the Parole Board of Canada in the Performance Measurement and Research Section, as well as at Public Safety Canada in the Corrections Research Unit. Kimberly is now working in provincial government as a Senior Research Analyst at BC Corrections in Victoria, BC. |