GOT Lab Alumni

Left to Right: Emese Orosz, Olivia Zaroski, Dr. Harjinder Gill, Baylee Rubinoff, Alexandria Elms

Past Graduate Students


Scott Cassidy (PhD)


Scott holds a PhD in Industrial/Organizational psychology from the University of Guelph. Scott’s doctoral work investigates the means by which teams develop (or fail to develop) effective communication patterns and trust using a variety of different technologies, in order to foster effective, high-performing virtual work teams. To do this, Scott’s project involves running participant teams through a military simulation designed and developed with the United States Office of Naval Research; after which he and his team of subject matter experts assess each team’s process using a variety of content analysis-, thematic-, and linguistically-derived metrics. Scott has had the privilege of presenting this work to a wide variety of academic- and professional audiences, including as part of an international symposium on virtual team leadership at the 2016 Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology (SIOP) conference in Anaheim. More recently, Scott served as the academic voice on a joint researcher/practitioner panel on virtual team leadership at the 2017 SIOP conference in Orlando, hosted by IBM Smarter Workforce.
Scott has worked at the Guelph Organizational Trust Lab since 2010, and has served as lab manager for the GOT lab and Centre for Organizational Studies since 2014. Outside of the lab, Scott has also worked as a consultant at Organization and Management Solutions as well with Taylor-Newberry Consulting, where he has helped apply evidence-based best practices to management through the use of applied psychometrics, structured interview training, focus groups, and various training workshops and modules.

Scott Cassidy’s Email

Visit Scott Cassidy’s LinkedIn


Josh Hannah (MA)

Josh graduated with an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational psychology from the University of Guelph in 2017. Jinder supervised Josh’s thesis on how leader delegation can make subordinates feel trusted. In addition to his role as a member of the Trust Lab, Josh was a consultant with Organization Management Solutions working to apply evidence-based management practices to solve problems in local, and provincial organizations. Josh has previously applied psychological evidence to real world problems through co-founding Psychological Education for Awareness and Reduction of Stigma (PEARS), an organization focused on community mental health education. PEARS won a 2015 Canadian Mental Health Association Champions of Mental Health award.

Josh Hanna’s Email

Visit Josh Hanna’s LinkedIn


Katherine Gibbard (PhD)

Katherine obtained a PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Guelph in 2023, where she researched trust in generative artificial intelligence and hiring algorithms. She earned her M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Guelph in 2019. She joined the GOT Lab in the fall of 2017 after graduating from the University of Calgary with a B.Sc. Honours in Psychology.

During her six years in the GOT Lab, she enjoyed mentoring and collaborating with GOT Lab members in her role as the lab’s co-director. Katherine was the recipient of several awards during her time in the GOT Lab, including the CGS Doctoral Scholarship, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, CGS-M, and the Organization & Management Solutions Award. She published academic articles and presented at leading conferences such as the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Academy of Management, and the Society of Consulting Psychology.

Currently, Katherine is a Research Scientist on the SAP SuccessFactors Growth and Insights team. In this role, she researches the dynamic ways in which work is changing and the role that HR technology can play in supporting these changes. Prior to joining SAP SuccessFactors, Katherine spent two years crafting custom solutions for a variety of talent management applications including hiring, high potential identification, leadership development, workforce planning, and team cohesion as a Behavioral Scientist at SuccessFinder.

Katherine Gibbard’s Email

Visit Katherine Gibbard’s LinkedIn


Julia Power (MA)

Julia is an M.A. student in the Industrial-Organizational psychology program at the University of Guelph. She joined the GOT Lab in fall 2020 after graduating from the University of Windsor with a B.A. honours in Developmental Psychology in 2020. Julia has three years of experience as a research assistant within various labs at the University of Windsor. As a research assistant, she worked on a variety of projects surrounding employed student wellbeing, cross-cultural trustworthiness, and impostor phenomenon. During this time, she was able to develop her research skills in collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitate data.

Currently, Julia is working on her Master’s thesis surrounding the topic of employee reactions to negative feedback under the supervision of Dr. Gill. Julia is excited to continue this work and begin data collection in the Fall.


Past Honours Thesis Students

Emma Currie

Emma is in her fourth year as a Bachelor of Arts Honours Psychology student. She joined the lab in 2017 with the hopes of gaining insight and experience into the field of research. Emma has recently completed a research assistant position with Deborah Powell aiding with her research in interview anxiety. The work completed over the 2018 summer has been submitted to the upcoming CPA National Convention. Emma is currently completing an Honours Thesis project under the supervision of professor Harjinder Gill and M.A. student Katherine Gibbard. Her research is in partnership with Katherine’s M.A. thesis, and is focused on how organizational citizenship behaviours are impacted by individual differences in attachment anxiety and felt trust perception. Outside of academics, Emma loves hiking and photography. 


Charlotte Young

Charlotte joined Dr. Gill’s lab as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the summer of 2022. During her undergrad, Charlotte developed an interest in I-O psychology and thought it would be a good way to blend her two areas of study. As a research assistant she has had the opportunity to conduct literature reviews and code data under the supervision of Dr. Gill. She has also worked on a project for Emma Williamson (Ph.D). Having gained valuable experience with the GOT lab, she was inspired to pursue a graduate degree in I-O psychology and is now a master’s student at the University of Waterloo. She is currently conducting research on microaggressions in the workplace and is interested in helping improve the workplace for minority groups. She hopes to follow up on her master’s degree with a Ph.D in I-O psychology. In her personal time Charlotte enjoys cooking, reading and listening to music.


Elizabeth Osborn

Elizabeth is currently in her third year as a Bachelor of Arts Honours Psychology student. She joined the Guelph Organizational Trust Lab in the Fall of 2019 and is currently working as a volunteer. Currently, she is assisting Ph.D. student Katherine Gibbard with research involving the GOT Lab’s consulting services. Elizabeth is looking forward to further participation in ongoing projects in the lab, as well as broadening her understanding of research methods and Industrial-Organizational psychology in general. Upon completing her honours degree, Elizabeth is hoping to pursue I-O psychology in her postgraduate education. In her personal time, Elizabeth enjoys cooking and doing yoga.


Past Research Assistants

Helen Bauer

Helen graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Psychology. Her honours research focused on interview anxiety and its impact on performance evaluation. Helen joined the lab in the summer of 2017 and worked on the ‘Teams’ project and helping develop the Fall 2017 course ‘Teams, Leadership and Professional Behaviour’.


Mahsa Tavassoly

Mahsa joined the Guelph Organizational Trust Lab as a research assistant in 2021. She developed a keen interest in I/O Psychology after taking a course on teams and leadership with Dr. Gill in 2019. As a part of her role in the GOT lab, Mahsa assisted PhD student, Katherine Gibbard, with research duties such as literature reviewing on topics related to the use of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace. In her free time, Mahsa enjoys taking part in various volunteer initiatives and assisting the community, she also loves spending time in nature, hiking, and photography.


Theresa Breen
After graduating from the University of Calgary with a BA in Psychology, Theresa earned her certification to teach from the University of Cambridge. Although Theresa loved teaching, she decided to return to university and pursue a career in Clinical Psychology. To this end, Theresa began attending the University of Guelph in September of 2016 to upgrade her credentials.

Theresa joined the GOT lab as a volunteer in the late fall of 2016. She has had many roles in the lab, including developing the lab’s website and completing an internship on felt trust and Self-Determination Theory.


Lovleen Gill

Lovleen is a fourth year Honors Bachelor of Arts and Science student, specializing in Neuroscience and Psychology who joined the I/O lab as a volunteer in the Fall 2017 semester. Under Scott Cassidy and Dr. Harjinder Gill, Lovleen worked on the Claremont Project. Lovleen conducted stock market analysis, looking at when companies change policies that may affect organizational culture or remote work arrangements; and when and how leadership changes. 


Thomas Lapointe

Thomas is a recent graduate from the University of Guelph, achieving an Honours B.A. in Psychology. Lacking any skills in the field of human research and pursuing his interest in Industrial/Organizational psychology, Thomas has joined the GOT lab as a volunteer to gain first-hand experience in the world of I/O psychology.


Olivia Lech

As an Honours Bachelor of Science student, Olivia has a passion for research and wants to pursue the study of cognition and mental functioning implemented in the brain’s neural circuitry. She is majoring in Psychology: Brain and Cognition at the University of Guelph which fosters her interest in the mind-brain relationship and the interplay between mental phenomena and brain activity. Her interest in psychometrics and assessing workplace performance motivated her to join Dr. Gill’s Organizational Trust Lab; she volunteered with the Drapo Island Project and has collaborated on data transcription and latent content analysis. In the Fall 2016 semester, Olivia completed an internship with a focus on exploring the specific communication practices and patterns within virtual teams that lead to high- versus low-task performance.


Karli Longthorne

Karli is a third year Honours Bachelor of Arts student, currently pursuing her passion in Psychology and Family & Child Studies. She joined the I/O lab as a Summer 17’ volunteer where she worked closely with Dr. Gill and her lab team to develop the new Fall 17’ Psychology course ‘Teams, Leadership and Professional Behaviour’. In September, Karli began her Internship under Dr. Gill and specializes in two major areas including conducting literature reviews for an upcoming REB proposal and video transcribing participant data. Upon graduation, Karli intends to pursue graduate studies and earn a Ph.D. with the end goal of becoming a Clinical Psychologist.


Cullen McCurrach

As a fifth-year undergraduate student at the University of Guelph, Cullen is currently working as a research assistant while completing his B.A. with Honours Specialization in Psychology. He initially joined the Centre for Organizational Studies in the summer of 2016 to assist with Scott Cassidy’s “Drapo Island” dissertation project and has since completed video transcription, task scoring, latent content analysis, thematic analysis, data management and statistical analysis, and a comprehensive literature review within the GOT lab.


Emese Orosz

Emese recently completed her undergraduate studies in Bachelor of Arts Honours Psychology with certificates in Business and Leadership. Emese joined the Guelph Organizational Trust lab in S16 to assist Scott Cassidy with his “Drapo Island” Dissertation. With the team, Emese has completed video transcription, content analysis, and literature review for various projects within the GOT lab. Although Emese has graduated she is an active member in the lab assisting with data collection and literature review for the Claremont Project.


Baylee Rubinoff

Baylee is a recent graduate of the University of Guelph. She completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology and minoring in Marketing, graduating with distinction. She volunteered with the lab working on projects with Dr. Gill and Scott Cassidy. During her undergrad, she completed an internship in the lab, where she is reviewing the literature on virtual team dynamics and processes. Since joining the Guelph Organizational Trust Lab in September 2016, Baylee has helped Scott Cassidy with behavioural coding of transcripts for his Drapo Island project. She helped with the thematic content analysis team where she worked with Scott Cassidy and other interns to review transcripts and search for underlying themes.


Sara Reid

Sara is a graduate of the University of Guelph, holding an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Family and Child Studies. Sara initially joined the GOT lab as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the summer semester of 2015 to assist with PhD candidate, Scott Cassidy’s “Drapo Island” Dissertation study and manuscript editing for Dr. Gill. She continued to work in the lab as an intern that fall, and then as a volunteer until graduation in April of 2016. During her time with the lab, she completed content analysis, aided in participant recruitment, facilitated study sessions, prepared lab materials and created a research-based peer-evaluation form for lab members. Sara is currently completing a Certificate in Business from the University of Guelph and hopes to pursue a career in consumer behaviour and brand marketing.


Aisha Tokjuman

Aisha is a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Arts Honours Psychology Co-op program. She joined the lab in the Winter of 2019 as an intern. Throughout her undergrad, Aisha has been involved in a number of Co-op positions in the field of Human Resources to learn more about organizational structures. She has been involved in developing training manuals, health and safety modules, employee recruitment and team building strategies. As an intern, Aisha hopes to develop her research methods and gain valuable guidance from her skilled lab members. She anticipates using these skills to further her education into a postgraduate education in the field of I/O. Outside of academics, Aisha is learning more about the stock market as this is a new area of business she is eager to know more about. She also enjoys watching cooking shows to learn techniques she can share with her family and friends.


Amara Robbins

Amara is in her third year as a Bachelor of Arts Honours Psychology student. She joined Dr. Harjinder Gill’s Organizational Trust Lab as a research assistant volunteer in 2020. Beginning as a volunteer, Amara had the opportunity to work on projects such as literature reviews and coding data under the direction of Katherine Gibbard (Ph.D.). Currently, Amara is completing an internship under the supervision of Dr. Harjinder Gill and Emma Vreeker-Williamson (Ph.D.). Amara is eager and very passionate to learn and gain experience in the field of I-O psychology research as she intends to pursue postgraduate education in this field. Amara hopes to develop her research skills and gain valuable guidance from this experienced team. Outside of academics, Amara enjoys spending time with family and friends and volunteering within her church. 


Megan Zani

Megan is in her third year as a Bachelor of Arts Honours Psychology student minoring in Marketing. She joined the lab in Fall of 2019 as a volunteer research assistant with the goal of gaining more experience in the field of research.  Throughout her undergrad, Megan has developed an interest for I/O psychology. She finds that I/O psychology is a suitable blend of business and psychology and hopes to pursue postgraduate education in this field. Megan most recently completed an internship with the GOT Lab in the Fall of 2020. As an intern, Megan conducted research on trust and personality. She also had the opportunity to conduct data analyses under Katherine Gibbard’s (PhD) supervision, deliver a presentation on her findings, and submit an abstract to the 2021 CPA Convention. Outside of the lab, Megan enjoys spending quality time with her friends and family, hiking, and listening to good music.


Grace Wylie

Grace is in her second year as a Bachelor of Commerce student majoring in Management. She joined the lab in the Summer of 2021 as an Undergraduate Research Assistant. Grace had the opportunity to work on projects on Women in the Technology Industry under the direction of Katherine Gibbard (Ph.D.). In addition, she assisted Alexandria Elms (Ph.D.) on multiple I-O related projects. Grace is excited to learn more about the field of I-O psychology as it combines her interests in Management and Psychology. Her valuable experience with the GOT lab has inspired her to pursue a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology. In her personal time, Grace enjoys traveling, meditating, and reading.  


Emma Conway


Olivia Zaroski

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