Seth Winward
Published January 2026
Seth is currently a 4th-year PhD student working in the Social Cognition and Face Processing Lab with Dr. Roxane Itier. His current research focuses on the neuroscience of empathy, specifically whether the different empathy constructs developed in trait-level research using questionnaires are reflected by state-level behaviour and neural activity. He combines event-related potential (ERP) methods with rigorous mass univariate statistical techniques to better investigate the neural timing of empathy, along with behavioural and trait-based methods. His broader research interests span a wide range of topics in social and affective neuroscience, including face perception, emotion processing, theory of mind, and prejudice. Seth has experience with ERP, psychophysiological, eye tracking, and behavioural methodologies and is committed to using multiple levels of analysis to better understand how we think, feel, and reason about others.
Seth has been fortunate to receive external funding from SSHRC, NSERC, and OGS throughout my time in graduate school; He has also received a Memorial Award and Research Dissemination Award from the Psychology Department. Seth has a strong interest in teaching that he has pursued through the Fundamentals of University Teaching and Certificate in University Teaching programs offered by the Centre for Teaching Excellence. He also serves the community at UW as a mentor to junior grad students through the department’s Big Sib program and as a union organizer for CUPE 5524. Outside of academia, Seth enjoys hiking, canoeing, and other activities that put him in touch with nature.
Publications:
- Winward, S. B. & Itier, R. J. (submitted). Is state empathy a multidimensional construct? Support from a novel within-subjects experimental design. Social Cognition.
- Winward, S. B. & Itier, R. J. (accepted). Assessment of trait empathy scales: Comparing the IRI and the TEQ on convergent validity with sexual prejudice, gender effects, and temporal stability. Journal of Personality Assessment.
- Winward, S.B. & Itier, R.J. (2025). The influence of sexual prejudice and gender on trait and state-level empathy. Frontiers in Psychology, 16.
- Winward, S. B., Siklos-Whillans, J., & Itier, R.J. (2022). Impact of face outline, parafoveal feature number and feature type on early face perception in a gaze-contingent paradigm: A mass-univariate re-analysis of ERP data. Neuroimage: Reports, 2(4), 100148.
Fatima Wasif
Published September 2025
Fatima is a 4th year Ph.D. Candidate in the Clinical Psychology program, working under the supervision of Dr. Tara McAuley at the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychology Lab. Her research focuses on understanding how social (perceived quality and quantity of social support) and cognitive (executive functions) factors independently and jointly predict well-being among young people across educational transitions. In her M.A she investigated this phenomenon in adolescents entering high school, while her Ph.D. dissertation focuses on young adults entering first year university. Building on this work, Fatima is developing valid and reliable survey tools to measure how individuals strategically use their environment—including physical implements, digital technologies and social networks—to offload cognitive demands in daily life. Her overarching goal is to inform prevention and intervention efforts to enhance student health and success post-academic transitions. Her work has been supported by SSHRC and OGS grants at both the Master’s and Doctoral levels.
Alongside her primary research focus, Fatima has also actively engaged in research-based collaborations with the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region, with Dr. Dillon Browne. In this domain, her work examines risk and promotive factors for youth belonging and well-being across ecological systems.
Clinically, Fatima has developed a strong background in neuropsychological assessment, completing practica at renowned academic medical centers like The Hospital for Sick Children and McMaster Children’s Hospital. She is excited to continue to contribute to furthering wellness in young people through her research and clinical work.
- Visit Fatima on Google Scholar
Publications:
- Wasif, F., & McAuley, T. (2024). Exploring close relationships and executive functions as unique and joint predictors of adolescent subjective well-being across the transition to high school. Journal of Happiness Studies, 25(6), 64.
- Wasif, F., Smith, J. A., & Browne, D. T. (2025). Youth's sense of belonging and associated risk and promotive factors: An ecological systems network analysis. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry, 13591045251380305. Advance online publication.
Pearlyn Ng
Published September 2025
Pearlyn is a 4th-year PhD Candidate in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program, working under the supervision of Dr. Douglas J. Brown. She completed her Masters of Science in Management at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2022 under the supervision of Dr. Kristyn A. Scott (who is a U Waterloo I-O alumni!). Pearlyn’s research focuses on (1) dynamic perspectives of leadership, specifically how leader-follower exchanges and implicit theories shape leadership emergence and impact, and (2) the role of gender in advancing more inclusive conceptions of leadership. Her research is supported by the SSHRC Canadian Doctoral Scholarship, and she has presented her work at several national and international conferences, including the Academy of Management and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. In 2024, her research received the first-place award for EDI Research Poster from the Canadian Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology.
Alongside her research, Pearlyn is actively involved in the academic and local community. She is a student mentor in the LIFT program and Big/Little Sib program at U Waterloo. This year, she served as a measurement mentor in the Measurement 4 Change program in Waterloo Region and provided measurement and analysis support to the Woolwich Counseling Centre. She is also a volunteer with the Canadian Association for Girls in Science, supporting programs and activities that inspire girls and gender-diverse youth to pursue STEM fields.