The Department of Psychology at UWaterloo offers several programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. Our faculty are internationally renowned and our graduate and undergraduate programs are consistently ranked among the top departments in Canada. Our department conducts high-impact research in each of the six major subdivisions of psychology listed below.
Resources
News
Drs. Igor Grossmann and Dan Smilek Recognized with 2026 Arts Awards for Excellence
Dr. Igor Grossmann and Dr. Dan Smilek have been recognized with 2026 Arts Awards of Excellence in Research and Teaching, respectively. We look forward to celebrating with both Igor and Dan at the 2026 Celebration of Arts event in the Fall. Congratulations, and thanks to the students and faculty who initiated these nominations!
Humboldt Prize awarded to Dr. Igor Grossmann
The Humboldt prize is awarded to scientists for fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights with lasting impact.
Dr. Megan McCarthy awarded Excellence in Online Course Design Award
We are pleased to share that Dr. Megan McCarthy has been awarded the Excellence in Online Course Design Award for her design of ARTS 140.
Megan was nominated by students and selected from a highly competitive pool of 75 candidates, an impressive achievement that reflects her passionate dedication to high-quality teaching.
Events
Jolie Ho's PhD Defence
Jolie Ho's thesis is entitled: "Keeping Others at Arm’s Length: Examining the Contribution of Fears of Receiving Compassion to Safety Behaviour Use and Positivity Deficits in Social Anxiety."
All are welcome to attend.
Sarah English's PhD Defence
Sarah English's thesis is entitled: "Multiple Motivations Underlying Children’s Affiliative Behaviour: The Functional Role of Affiliative Language."
All are welcome to attend.
Laura Colucci's PhD Defence
Laura Colucci's thesis is entitled: “Family Processes in the Year Following Brief and Virtual Emotion-Focused Family Therapy Groups: Child and Family Trajectories and Mental Health Service Utilization.”
This defence is being held remotely and is only open to the committee members, the candidate, and the candidate's invited guests.