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Lab Director

Veronica Whitford, Ph.D.
I am an Associate Professor and NSERC Canada Research Chair in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick (UNB). I received my Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from McGill University. Afterward, I completed two post-doctoral fellowships in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. The first was at the University of Western Ontario (Department of Psychology, Brain and Mind Institute), and the second was at Harvard University (Graduate School of Education) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research). I then was an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) before joining UNB.
Graduate Students


Narissa Byers
I am a current MA/PhD student in Experimental Psychology. I completed a basic research project, honours thesis, and NSERC USRA internship with Dr. Whitford. While I enjoy a variety of research areas, my main interests are cognitive psychology, mainly reading and executive functioning, with a focus on clinical populations and brain imaging techniques.
Erika Guedea
I am a current MA/PhD student in Experimental Psychology. I completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Texas at El Paso where I investigated bilingual language processing and cognition. Under Dr. Veronica Whitford’s supervision, I continue to expand on this line of research and explore how individual differences in language learning contexts, proficiency, and cognition shape online language processing in both typically and atypically developing populations.
Undergraduate Students

Sarah MacIsaac
I received my B.A. honours degree in Psychology with a specialization in Neuroscience from UNB in the spring of 2022. Currently, I am the lab manager and a research assistant. Previously, I completed my basic research project and honours thesis with Dr. Whitford. While I enjoy several areas of psychology, I am most passionate about cognition and language. I hope to pursue a career in Speech Language Pathology and use the skills I have learnt from Dr. Whitford to help those with speech and language difficulties.


Kate MacGregor
I am a 3rd year undergraduate student at UNB pursuing a concurrent Arts & Science double degree with an interest in Biology for my B.Sc. and Psychology for my B.A. I worked as a Canada Summer Jobs research assistant in Dr. Whitford’s lab in 2021 and I was awarded an NSERC USRA in her lab for the summer of 2022. I am now currently working as a part-time research assistant in her lab for the 2022-23 academic year. Through this experience I hope to explore my curiosity of neuroscience specializations within psychology as well as learn about various experimental techniques.
Courtney Stacey
I am a fourth year University of New Brunswick student taking a B.A. in Psychology, with a specialization in Neuroscience. I completed my honours thesis with the help of Dr. Whitford and her Language Development Lab. Through my professional and personal experiences, I have developed a passion for providing support, education, and motivation for people impacted by various medical obstacles. I feel strongly about the impacts that cognitive disabilities and neurodegenerative disorders have on an individual’s daily activities and quality of life. After graduating, my hope is to pursue a career in research designed to better the lives of my fellow Canadians experiencing these cognitive difficulties. My goal is to attend a graduate program in experimental psychology, specifically pertaining to cognitive neuroscience



Victoria Matthews
I am a fourth year undergraduate student pursuing a B.Sc. in Psychology. I completed my basic research project with Dr. Whitford and will be completing my honours thesis in her lab as well. While I am interested in many areas of psychology, I am most passionate about cognition, language development, and behavioural neuroscience.
Nicole Acupinpin
I am an undergraduate student, currently working on my B.Sc in Psychology with a Minor in Biology and Specialization in Neuroscience. I am Dr. Whitford’s Basic Research student for Fall 2022. My research interests are health psychology, neuroscience, and medicine. With this experience in the Whitford Lab, I hope to understand and learn more about research in neuroscience. Outside of research, I am involved in organizations such as the Atlantic Student Research Journal and Shades of Change.
Büke Dalkir
I am an undergraduate student in my third year of pursuing a BA in Psychology and Honours English. I am currently doing my Basic Research project under Dr. Veronica Whitford’s supervision, and I am excited to gain experience from working in the lab as I plan to pursue an Honours in Psychology as well. I am most passionate about neuropsychology and language development, and I am excited to expand my interests further through my experiences.
Past Members
Gabrielle Levasseur: Undergraduate basic research student & research assistant, UNB (2021-2022)
Emma Toole: Undergraduate research assistant, UNB (2022)
Yara Baroumi: Undergraduate research assistant & basic research student, UNB (2021-2022)
Alaina McInnes: Undergraduate basic research student, UNB (2021)
Kyle Murphy: Undergraduate basic research student, UNB (2021)
Samantha Shaw: Undergraduate honours student and research assistant, UNB (2020-2021)
Lauryn Munro: Undergraduate basic research student, UNB (2020)
Mallory Pittman: Undergraduate basic research student, UNB (2020)
Clarice Hoe Sue Yeen: Undergraduate basic research student, UNB (2020)
Arti Prajapati: Undergraduate work-study research assistant, UNB (2019-2020)
Astrid Portillo: Clinical Psychology M.A. student, UTEP (2018-2020)
Alejandra Gonzalez: Undergraduate research assistant, UTEP (2018-2019)
Raymond Mendoza: Undergraduate research assistant, UTEP (2018-2019)
Marjorie Rouse: Undergraduate research assistant & independent research student, UTEP (2018-2019)
Yassel Sanchez Romero: Independent research student, UTEP (2018-2019)

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