The University of Waterloo’s Psychology Discovery Conference (PDC) once again brought together undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and staff for a day of student-led research sharing and academic exchange.
Organized by Department of Psychology students, the conference highlights the breadth of psychological science at Waterloo while creating space for students to present, connect, and learn across Waterloo's six areas of psychology: clinical, cognitive, cognitive neuroscience, developmental, industrial-organizational, and social psychology.
The conference featured more than 80 research talks and poster presentations, alongside networking opportunities and skill-building sessions. About 40 per cent of the presenters were undergraduates who shared their honours thesis and directed studies research, while graduate students shared ongoing studies and emerging findings.
Sarah English, a PhD candidate in Psychology and long-time conference organizer notes that the conference has grown significantly since its early pandemic iteration, when it was held virtually to maintain connection within the department. Today, it regularly draws 150+ attendees and continues to expand in scope and scale, requiring larger venues to accommodate increasing participation.
“Students work so hard on their research projects all year… it’s incredible to see the depth and breadth of work going on in the department,” English says. She adds that the conference also serves as a key networking opportunity, helping students form connections with peers and mentors and explore new research directions.
The conference keynote brings students into direct contact with leading scholars working at the forefront of psychological research. This year’s keynote address by Dr. Elizabeth Page-Gould, Psychological Systems of Cooperation: From Relationships to Social Groups, explores how social support and identity are shaped through both personal relationships and broader social networks.
A central goal of PDC is to foster reciprocal learning across all levels of the psychology community. Students are encouraged not only to present their own work, but also to engage with research across diverse areas of psychology, from language development and workplace attitudes to virtual reality, attention, and psychopathology.
For graduate student and conference presenter Bailea Erb, the value of these exchanges lies in the collaborative culture the conference helps cultivate. “This is what I love about research at Waterloo,” she says. “It feels shared and supportive rather than individualistic. It’s about working together to figure out how we can best support all of the work that we’re doing and learn from each other.”
That collaborative spirit extends into the presentation experience itself, where students receive feedback from peers and faculty across subfields. “I’ve talked to faculty members today that have given me ideas of what I can do next with my research that I hadn’t thought of,” Erb adds. “It’s a been really illuminating.”
Photos courtesy Dr. Geoff Fong; top photo includes (left to right) Candice Rubie, Dr. Katherine White, and Sarah English.
