Elina Birmingham, Ph.D.

Elina Birmingham, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at SFU. She is a former post-doctoral student of Dr. Iarocci in the psychology program at SFU.  She is the director of the Social Attention Group in Education (SAGE).

Research Interests:  Social attention and perception in typical and atypical development, facial expressions, peer mentorship, technological devices for supporting autistic individuals with auditory hypersensitivity 

Lab Website: https://sagesfu.ca/

Sam Doesburg, Ph.D.

Sam Doesburg, Ph.D., is an associate professor at SFU in the Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology (BPK), Co-Director of the Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience Institute (BCNI), and the Callum Frost Professor in Translational Research in Autism at SFU.

Research Interests: Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain imaging of typical and atypical brain oscillations and networks, Translational research in autism, and brain oscillations and networks in cognition and development. 

Website: https://www.bcni-sfu.net/

Reyhane Bakhtiari, M.Sc.

Reyhane Bakhtiari, M.Sc., is a researcher with the lab. 

Research Interests: Positive attitudes towards autism, self/autism awareness in children and adolescents with ASD, comorbid disorders with autism, Learning Disabilities.

David Trembath, Ph.D.

David Trembath, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Speech Pathology at Griffith University in Australia. He is also the Deputy Research Directory of the Hopkins Centre at the Menzies Health Institute Queensland in Griffith University.

Emily Gardiner, Ph.D.

Emily Gardiner, Ph.D., is a former doctoral student of Dr. Iarocci, and completed her PhD in Developmental Psychology.  She is currently a postdoctoral fellow with the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute and UBC Department of Pediatrics (Developmental Pediatrics Division). 

Research Interests: Family impact and quality of life when there is a child with a developmental disability, the role of services that support both the child and​ family, and exploring 'navigation' services that help families of children with disabilities to connect to resources, supports, and services in their communities.

ResearchGate Profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emily_Gardiner

Ilan Dinstein, Ph.D.

Ilan Dinstein, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and Director of the Dinstein Neuroimaging Lab. He is also the Director of the National Autism Research Center of Israel. 

Website: http://dinshi.com/

Kimberly Armstrong, Ph.D., R.Psych.

Kimberly Armstrong, Ph.D., R.Psych is a Registered Psychologist working in the Greater Vancouver area. She conducted autism research for ten years as a doctoral student with Dr. Grace Iarocci at Simon Fraser University, and with Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen at the University of Cambridge. She has peer-reviewed research published The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Autism Research, and Molecular Autism. During her clinical program, Dr. Armstrong trained in positions at BC Children's Hospital, Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH), Queen's University, and Hotel Dieu Hospital. 

Dr. Armstrong currently holds a part-time position at CYMH, as well as at Westcoast Child Development Group and Spectrum Works Consulting Group. She is also a Clinical Faculty member of the Neurodevelopmental Disorders Program in the Department of Psychiatry at UBC. Her private practice primarily consists of the diagnosis and mental health treatment of older autistic adolescents and adults, with a focus on females. 

Krista Johnston, Ph.D., R.Psych.

Krista Johnston, Ph.D., R.Psyc. is a formal doctoral student of Dr. Iarocci and current registered psychologist at the Department of Psychology BC Children's Hospital, ABLE Developmental Clinic, Inc., and Pacific Autism Family Network.

Research interests: ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, neurotypical development, mental health in ASD (particularly anxiety and depression), treatment of anxiety in ASD (using modified CBT and group-based approaches), assessment of ASD in the context of epilepsy, program evaluation, clinical pathway development, the prevalence of Dravet syndrome and Tuberous Sclerosis in the context of autism and mental health challenges, the use of technology in intervention, social and emotional functioning and development, and family functioning.

Lise Olsen, Ph.D., RN

Lise Olsen, Ph.D., RN is an associate professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences. 

Research interests: Active, safe and inclusive play for children, understanding how parents balance issues of risk and safety for children, role of equity related factors: gender, income, disability, and chronic illness, and injury prevention experiences of families and children living with autism

Marie-Hélène Poulin, Ph.D.

Marie-Hélène Poulin, Ph.D. is a professor at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT).

Research interests: Social inclusion of people with autism.

Website: https://portail.uqat.ca/prf/fr/Marie-Helene-Poulin/Pages/default.aspx

Nichole Scheerer, Ph.D.

Nicole Scheerer, Ph.D., is a former postdoctoral fellow at SFU and current BrainsCAN fellow at Western University. She received her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Research Interests: How the brain uses sensory information (e.g., auditory and visual information) during development. How differences in the perception of, or attention to, different forms of sensory information may influence development. 

Sarah Hutchison, Ph.D.

Sarah Hutchison, Ph.D. is the former Lab Manager for the ADDL. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow with the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia.  She is conducting her current research out of the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute.

Research Interests: The development of executive function, childhood obesity and health outcomes, autism, and mental health.

ResearchGate Profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sarah_Hutchison2

Vanessa Fong, Ph.D.

Vanessa Fong, Ph.D. is a former doctoral student in the Experimental Developmental program at SFU. She received her BSc from the University of Toronto and completed her MSc. at the University of London. She is currently completing her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia in the School of Nursing under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Baumbusch.

Research Interests: ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, executive functioning, quality of life, and evaluating interventions.