M.Sc Alumni

Frances Sterzer - M.Sc., 2024
Research and Development Associate, University of Calgary

Christopher Davie - M.Sc., 2023
People & Change Management Consultant, KPMG

Alexandra Lukic - M.Sc., 2020
Internal Consultant, Morgan Stanley

Alexandra graduated with a MSc in I-O Psychology in 2020 where she focused on researching employee job satisfaction, person-organization fit, and turnover intentions alongside her supervisor, Dr. Derek Chapman. Since graduating, she has been working as a Recruiter in the field. She started her career outside of academia in a temp agency conducting high volume recruitment, but has recently started working for Morgan Stanley as an internal Recruiter. Her goal is to continue working in recruitment and eventually moving into other areas of Human Resources where she can apply the skills and knowledge she has gained through her Master’s studies.

Tessa Neilson - M.Sc., 2018
Ph.D. Student, Wilfrid Laurier University

Tessa completed her master’s thesis on mental disorder stigma interventions in the workplace under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Szeto and Dr. Kibeom Lee. Her interests in integrating the stigma literature with justice in the workplace has led her to continue her PhD with Dr. Laurie Barclay within the Lazaridis School of Business at Wilfrid Laurier University. During her doctoral studies Tessa hopes to examine perceptions of stigma within organizations, and improve both the measurement of and interventions related to reducing stigma towards those with mental illnesses at work.

Naomi Lee - M.Sc., 2018
Behavioural Scientist, Symend

After graduating with a MSc in I-O Psychology, Naomi worked as a Research Consultant in Market Research for the first 3 years in her career. She is now working at Symend as an applied Behavioural Scientist. In her current role as Behavioral Scientist, she designs engagement strategies that drive customer satisfaction and facilitate positive finance-related behavioural change. She identifies and executes strategy changes that continuously increase performance on KPIs while further enhancing the customer experience.

Clark Amistad - M.Sc., 2017
Manager of Assessment Strategy, Rogers Communications

I currently work within Rogers's Research & Analytics team as the Manager of Assessment Strategy at Rogers. In this role, I lead a sub-team to facilitate the use of talent assessments across the employee life-cycle. This includes building assessments to support selection, career pathing, and leadership development, and then leveraging assessment data to inform organizational policies, programs, and decisions.

Julia Smith - M.Sc., 2017
Research Communications Manager, ESSEC Business School

After completing her master's thesis with Dr. Tom O'Neill on team conflict profiles and student burnout in 2017, Julia accepted a position at ESSEC Business School in Paris, France. In her current role as Editor-in-Chief of ESSEC Knowledge, a bilingual resource dedicated to highlighting the research and thought leadership of ESSEC faculty, she is responsible for translating and disseminating research findings to a larger audience. Some of her responsibilities include writing and translating articles, producing a podcast and a video series, social media management, and organizing science communication workshops for faculty.

Genevieve Derban - M.Sc., 2017
Director of Strategic Program Integration and Learning, ATB Financial

After graduating, Genevieve started working at ATB Financial in Calgary as a Research Manager. She was promoted to Senior Research Manager for her work on the Brand and Wealth portfolios, helping to understand the needs, motives and barriers for customers. At the start of the pandemic, the Wealth division offered her a position to manage their key strategic initiatives including changes to advisor compensation, designing a wealth planning program and defining product governance. Recently, she was promoted to Director of Strategic Program Integration and Learning where she leads a team of program owners and learning consultants who are driving large scale change programs and training.

Anna Gödöllei - M.Sc., 2017
Ph.D Student, University of Waterloo

Anna completed her master’s thesis on game-based selection assessments under the supervision of Dr. Yannick Griep and Dr. Derek Chapman. Her interests in motivation and self-regulation have led her to continue her PhD with Dr. James Beck at the University of Waterloo. She is currently developing a new psychological construct to assess people’s perceptions of their goal progress. In addition, she continues to study technology and technology-driven changes at work. Specifically, her PhD dissertation examines employees’ perceptions and reactions to the automatability of their job.

Caitlin Comeau - M.Sc., 2016
Senior Human Resources Advisor, Department of National Defence

After graduating from her Masters under the supervision of Dr. Kibeom Lee, Caitlin went to work as a Research Associate at the Conference Board of Canada, where she conducted applied qualitative and quantitative research on a broad range of topics with the field of strategic human resources, specializing in leadership, learning and employee engagement. She then moved on to work as a Defence Scientist at the Department of National Defence (DND), where she focused her research on the well-being of military personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces. She currently works as a Senior Human Resources Advisor at DND, where she specialize in levering research and best-practices to implement and monitor the effectiveness of human resource initiatives focused on improving the well-being of civilian and military personnel.

Joanna McDouall - M.Sc., 2016
Consultant and Teacher, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

After graduation Joanna began teaching Psychology and research methods courses at SAIT in Calgary, Alberta. She also works as a consultant on various projects including: the analysis and improvement of safety culture, survey design and validation, and curriculum design for Psychology and Social Engineering courses.

LuYao Xiu – M.Sc., 2013
Recent Program Graduate

LuYao moved from China to join our program in 2011. She graduated very recently, having completed her thesis on core self-evaluations under the direction of Dr. Thomas O’Neill and Dr. Kibeom Lee.

Jill Pattison – M.Sc., 2013
Human Resources Manager, Bunch Welding Ltd.

Jill Pattison completed her Masters degree under the direction of Dr. Theresa Kline. She studied just and trusting workplace cultures. Jill recently got her CPHR - Charted Professional in Human Resources - designation.

Nikki Cornell – M.Sc., 2012
Interviewer, Organization & Management Solutions
Certificate in Human Resources, Human Resource Management at Sheridan College

Nikki currently works as an interviewer for a research based consulting firm. She is also completing her certificate in Human Resource Management.

Renata Godlewski – M.Sc., 2011
Director, Air Personnel Strategy and Research Advisor at the Royal Canadian Air Force

Renata completed her Master’s degree while a member of the military. She used the training she received from her Master’s degree to apply to the real world problems she encounters in her job at the Royal Canadian Air Force. She studied mental hardiness and its outcomes under the direction of Dr. Theresa Kline. Renata has returned to the U of C to complete her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Thomas O’Neill.

Megan Kendall – M.Sc., 2010
Learning Specialist, Metrics and Assessment at Suncor Energy

After graduating, Megan took up a job with Suncor Energy in Calgary. She works to help evaluate the impact of training and learning interventions in the company, including developing surveys, designing and implementing evaluation strategies, and interviewing stakeholders to identify gaps and opportunities.

Brenda Nguyen – M.Sc., 2010
Ph.D. Candidate at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary

After completing her M.Sc. in I/O Psychology, Brenda took up her Ph.D. studies in the Haskayne School of Business, and is near completion of her doctorate. She has been working with Dr. Piers Steel on topics related to meta-analysis and leadership.

David Kraichy – M.Sc., 2009
Assistant Professor, Edward School of Business, University of Saskatchewan

After receiving his MSc in I/O Psychology, he completed a PhD at the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba. David is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour in the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan. Broadly speaking, his current research interests reside in the area of Talent Management with a focus on how organization’s identify and develop their high potential and talented leaders.

Rhiannon MacDonnell – M.Sc., 2008
Lecturer in Marketing at the Cass Business School, London, UK

After receiving her MSc in I/O Psychology, she completed a PhD in Marketing in the Haskayne School of Business (University of Calgary) in 2012. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta. Her research interests include: Pro-social (e.g., ethical consumption, volunteering and charitable donations) and sustainable (e.g., recycling, conservation) consumer behavior; social media; motivation; the impact social justice and fairness on decision-making; and corporate social responsibility and community investment.

Major Gary Ivey – M.Sc., 2007
Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis at the Canadian Forces, Ottawa

Gary completed his thesis in the area of leadership, under the direction of Dr. Theresa Kline. Gary came to the program with plenty of applied experience in the military, which his research has since complemented. Gary continues to conduct and publish high impact research in his role as Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis with the Canadian Forces in Ottawa.

Shauna Meyerson – M.Sc., 2007
Senior Advisor – Organizational Development at Alberta Health Services

Shauna has held several positions since graduating, including as an Advisor of Leadership and Employee Development with Alberta Health Services, and a Senior Change Management and Strategy Consultant at IBM Global Business Services. She is currently a Senior Advisor of Organizational Development at Alberta Health Services, where she does work in coaching, consulting, and facilitation.

Gary Ivey- M.Sc., 2007
Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis at the Canadian Forces, Ottawa

Nicholas Borodenko – M.Sc., 2005
Senior Research Manager at Prairie Research Associates (PRA) Inc.

After completing his Master’s, Nicholas joined Prairie Research Associates (PRA) Inc., a program and marketing evaluation company based out of Winnipeg. As a program manager, Nicholas was responsible for conducting evaluations of federal and provincial governmental programs. Some of his responsibilities included key informant interviews, document and literature reviews, data planning and analysis, instrument design, and evaluation report writing. Nicolas is also an instructor at the University of Winnipeg

Jonas Shultz – M.Sc., 2005
Human Factors Lead at the Health Quality Council of Alberta

Jonas incorporates knowledge of human capabilities and limitations for various patient safety related initiatives, including medication storage and labelling for the region. His work has a great deal of implication for patient safety and outcomes.

Lieutenant-Colonel Dave Scholtz – M.Sc., 2003
Director, Personnel Generation and Requirements at the Canadian Armed Forces

After completing his Masters degree in I/O psychology, Dave resumed his duties with the Canadian Forces. He has been engaged in several projects involving personnel and is currently working on developing and maintaining selection standards and policies for the Canadian Armed Forces.

Heather MacDonald – M.Sc., 2003
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Business Administration at Memorial University

After completing her Masters degree in I/O psychology at Calgary, she moved on to finish her Ph.D. at the University of Waterloo. Heather did a stint as a lecturer in the School of Business and Economics at Wilfred Laurier University. She is currently an assistant professor at Memorial University with expertise in organizational behaviour and organizational theory.

Major Karen Brown – M.Sc., 2002
Area Personnel Selection Officer at Land Forces Western Area

After graduating from the University of Calgary, Karen was posted to the Director of Human Resources Research and Evaluation where she worked on measuring organizational climate and its relationships with stress. Karen was involved in NATO and other international research committees that were concerned about operational stress and the impact of climate and other variables. Karen was more recently posted to Edmonton, where she was the Area Personnel Selection Officer for Land Forces Western Area. In addition to providing the base of Edmonton with in-service selection, career/education counselling, and organizational consulting, she provided services in the Army of the West that expands from Thunder Bay to Victoria.

Christine Celnar – M.Sc., 1999
Market Research Consultant at IBM

When last we checked, Christine was employed by IBM in their North American headquarters in New York. As a market research consultant, Chris designed, manages, and presents research, leveraging marketplace data to assist her internal clients with their global business decisions.

Deborah Miller – M.Sc., 1999
Manager for Leadership Development at Rogers Communication

After completing her Masters degree in I/O psychology at Calgary, Deborah completed her PhD in I/O Psychology at the University of Guelph in 2005. She has worked in management consulting positions for OMS/GCORI and Canadian Tire. She is currently Senior Manager for Leadership Development at Rogers Communication in Toronto.

Ron Porter – M.Sc., 1999
Senior Member of the Canadian Military Personnel Selection Team at the Canadian Forces

Ron came to us with an already highly successful military career. After graduating from our program, Ron re-entered the military where he is a senior member of the Canadian Military Personnel Selection Team. Based on our most recent information, Ron was based in Vancouver, B.C.

Helen Gardiner – M.Sc., 1998
Director at H. Gardiner & Associates Inc.

After completing her Masters degree in I/O psychology, Helen completed her PhD in Applied Psychology at the University of Calgary, and a post-doctoral study in Mental Health and Addictions policy. Helen is the Director at H. Gardiner & Associates Inc., and her main area of expertise is community based research design and program evaluation with marginalized populations.

Lieutenant-Commander Lynn Bradley – M.Sc., 1997
Personnel Operations Officer in the National Defence Headquarters Strategic Joint Staff at the Canadian Forces

After completing her Masters degree in I/O psychology, Lynn returned to her duties with the Canadian Forces. She has been a policy analyst and staff officer for applied research and military psychology issues in the Navy. Lynn’s research interests continue to be in leadership, military culture, and gender integration.

Lieutenant Colonel Joy Klammer – M.Sc., 1997
Assistant Professor at the Military Psychology and Leadership Royal Military College

After completing her Masters degree in I/O psychology, Joy returned to her duties with the Canadian Forces as a Personnel Selection Officer, and then completed her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology at the University of Western Ontario. She is an assistant professor at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Her research interests are in selecting for teams, contextual performance, trust, motivation, and leadership.

Lieutenant-Colonel Lisa Noonan – M.Sc., 1996
Personnel Selection Officer Branch Advisor at the Department of National Defence

After completing her Masters degree in I/O psychology, Lisa returned to her duties with the Canadian Forces. She works in the areas of recruitment, selection and training and is currently the Personnel Selection Officer Branch Advisor at the DND in Ottawa.

Doug Brown – M.Sc., 1995
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo

After completing his Masters degree in I/O psychology at Calgary, Doug completed his PhD in I/O Psychology at the University of Akron. Before joining the Department of Psychology he was a management consultant in Cleveland, OH and then in Toronto. Doug’s research interests are in perceptions of organizations, faking on selections assessments, leadership, and deviance.

Colin Mombourquette – M.Sc., 1995
Defence Scientist, Defense & Space at the Department of National Defense

After completing his Masters degree in I/O psychology, Colin returned to his duties with the Canadian Forces initially as a Social Science Research Officer. He moved on to the private sector with In-Touch Survey Systems where he was Manager of Research Services. He returned to the Canadian Forces as a Strategic HR Analyst and is currently a Defence Scientist with the DND in Ottawa.

Lisa Keeping – M.Sc., 1995
Associate Professor, School of Business & Economics at Wilfred Laurier University

After completing her Masters degree in I/O psychology at Calgary, Lisa completed her PhD in I/O Psychology at the University of Akron. Before joining the Business & Economics School she was a management consultant in Cleveland, OH and then in Toronto. Lisa’s research interests are in performance management, leadership and selection