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Research
 

Understanding people in the environments where life and work actually happen.

My research sits at the intersection of sociology, human factors and human behaviour.

I am interested in how emotion, relationships, culture, social conditioning and environment shape what people perceive, how they behave, the decisions they make and what becomes possible for them.

Across very different populations and industries, the question underneath much of my work remains remarkably consistent:

What happens when we understand human behaviour in context?
01

Human Factors &
Maritime Safety

The human side of risk.

My current human factors research examines the relational and emotional dimensions of safety in complex, safety-critical environments.

My Master's research at Memorial University's Fisheries and Marine Institute explores the relationships between empathy, risk perception and safety engagement among commercial fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Rather than approaching safety only through hazards, equipment, procedures or regulation, the research examines how people understand and respond to risk within the realities of their work.

It considers the role of crew relationships, communication, human functioning, responsibility for others and interpersonal awareness in how risk is recognized, interpreted and managed.

This work contributes to a growing body of human-centred safety research examining the interaction between people, relationships and the conditions under which work is performed.

Research Areas
Human Factors · Maritime Safety · Empathy · Risk Perception · Safety Engagement · Crew Dynamics · Human Functioning · Safety Culture
02

Women, Work &
Workplace Systems

Who gets to participate, advance and thrive?

Another significant stream of my work examines women's experiences within workplaces and industries where they have historically been underrepresented.

My research and applied work have explored gendered workplace experiences, harassment and violence prevention, participation, leadership, advancement and the social and organizational conditions that influence women's careers.

Current work includes research focused on women in construction and the barriers, opportunities and workplace conditions affecting their participation and advancement.

But I am interested in more than simply identifying barriers.

I am interested in what happens around people as they become more visible, capable, ambitious or influential — and how relationships, culture, access, credibility, belonging and organizational systems can either expand or constrain human potential.

Research Areas
Women at Work · Gender · Workplace Culture · Participation & Advancement · Belonging · Leadership · Social Dynamics · Organizational Systems
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The larger question
underneath the work

What allows some people to live into their potential — even under constrained conditions — while others, equally capable, remain held back?

Major Research Projects

Selected research projects I have spearheaded or led.

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Homelessness & Domestic Violence

Five-Year Research Program

One of the earliest major bodies of research I led was a five-year program examining homelessness and domestic violence across Canada, with particular attention to differences between Indigenous populations and the broader Canadian population.

Research Areas
Homelessness · Domestic Violence · Indigenous Populations · Social Conditions · Structural Barriers
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Women in NL Construction Industry

Major Industry Research

I led a major research project examining the barriers and experiences of women working within Newfoundland & Labrador's construction industry, including workplace culture, participation and the conditions influencing women's experiences at work.

Research Areas
Women in Construction · Workplace Culture · Gender · Barriers · Industry Experience · Participation
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From Perception to Protection

Master's Thesis Research

My master's research examines whether empathy influences risk perception and safety engagement among commercial fish harvesters, including how social and emotional factors shape the way risk is understood and safety is carried within a working environment.

Research Areas
Human Factors · Empathy · Risk Perception · Commercial Fishing · Safety · Safety Culture · Training
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Breaking the Concrete Ceiling

Upcoming Research

This next phase builds on my earlier construction research, shifting the focus from participation to advancement and examining the organizational, cultural and structural conditions that influence who stays, who advances and who gets the opportunity to lead.

Research Areas
Career Advancement · Women in Construction · Organizational Culture · Leadership · Structural Barriers · Opportunity
Next Chapter

Empathy, Risk & Seafarers

Planned Doctoral Research

My planned PhD research will extend my work on empathy and risk beyond commercial fishing into the broader seafaring population.

The research will continue investigating the human and social dimensions of risk, including how people perceive danger, how empathy may influence those perceptions, and how these processes may shape safety behaviour and outcomes within maritime environments.

This represents the next stage of a research trajectory increasingly focused on the intersection of emotion, human factors, risk and the environments in which people work.

Extending the question beyond one occupational group and into the wider maritime environment.
Research Across Environments

Research that meets real life.

Across more than two decades, my research and applied work have taken me into very different social, organizational and occupational environments.

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Homelessness
◇
Domestic Violence
⚙
Oil & Gas
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Aviation
△
Construction
◌
Fitness & Wellness
⬡
Public Safety
≈
Maritime
Different environments reveal different pressures — and different ways people adapt, respond and move within the conditions surrounding them.
The Thread Through the Work

Different environments. A remarkably consistent question.

Homelessness. Domestic violence. Construction. Commercial fishing.

On the surface, these can look like very different research environments. They are — and that is part of what has made studying them so valuable.

Across very different populations, industries and circumstances, I have repeatedly encountered the relationship between people and the conditions surrounding them — culture, relationships, organizations, opportunity, social structures and the environments we inhabit.

Those conditions influence behaviour. They influence risk. They influence opportunity. And they influence what people believe is possible for themselves and for others.

But they do not always produce the same outcomes.

What allows some people to live into their potential — even under constrained conditions — while others, equally capable, remain held back?
Research & Collaboration
Interested in working together?

In addition to the major projects highlighted here, I have contributed to research and applied projects across multiple industries and organizations.

I am particularly interested in research partnerships and collaborations exploring human behaviour, human factors, workplace experience, safety, risk, social and organizational conditions, and the factors that shape human potential.

Research Partnerships · Industry Collaboration · Applied Research · Conference Presentations · Media & Expert Commentary
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