Our Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Daniel McGrath
Dr. McGrath, PhD., is an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary and a Senior Research Fellow at the Alberta Gambling Research Institute (AGRI).
His research program is primarily focused on behavioural pharmacology, personality, addictions, and risk-taking behaviour. Another major research area is the role of cognitive biases in disordered gambling. Specifically, Dr. McGrath is interested in the influence of attention to visual stimuli captured with eye-gaze tracking on gambling outcomes and ultimately relapse among remitted gamblers. Lastly, Dr. McGrath has several other gambling-focused research interests, including disordered gambling subtypes, personality characteristics of gamblers, and the role of expectancies in gambling.
Research Staff
Olivia Nelson
Olivia holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology and currently works as a research assistant in the Substance Use and Gambling Lab. She previously completed her honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. McGrath, where she examined the Problem Speculation Measure in a sample of Canadian cryptocurrency owners. Olivia has contributed to Dr. McGrath’s research on cryptocurrency and is a co-author on his most recent manuscript under review, “Demographic Patterns, Motives for Use, and Behavioral Patterns of Cryptocurrency Ownership in Canada: Evidence from a National Sample”. Her current work focuses on supporting a study investigating self-regulation among sports gamblers in Canada. Olivia plans to continue her academic training by pursuing graduate studies in counselling psychology.
Cailynne Smith
Cailynne is a research assistant with Dr. McGrath and is deeply intrigued by the opportunity to delve deeper into the complexities of substance use and gambling behaviour. Cailynne is a recent graduate of the University of Calgary, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with First Class Honours and a minor in Sociology. Her previous honours research in Dr. Linda Carlson’s Psychosocial Oncology Lab explored the beneficial effects of mindfulness on the wellbeing of cancer caregivers. Cailynne is hoping to further her academic journey by pursuing graduate studies in counselling psychology.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Spencer Murch
Dr S.pencer Murch is a cognitive psychologist and AGRI Postdoctoral Fellow supervised by Drs. Daniel McGrath and Andrew Kim at the University of Calgary. His work seeks to: (1) understand the cognitive, behavioural, and psychophysiological profiles of addictive digital product use, and (2) explore new opportunities for improving human health by using emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to detect, intervene, and ultimately prevent gambling-related problems.
Graduate Students
Diandra Leslie
Diandra is a PhD candidate in her fourth year of study in the Psychology Graduate Program. She received her Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Toronto, where she completed a double major in psychology and human biology, and she received her Master's degree in psychology from the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. McGrath. Diandra's research interests include mental health and addictions among emerging and young adults. Her dissertation research will focus on factors that influence university students' substance use and gambling habits.
Naomi Sharlin
Naomi is a first-year MSc student in the Psychology Graduate Program. She completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. Kibeom Lee. Currently supervised by Dr. McGrath, her research interests focus on behavioural addictions, such as cryptocurrency use and gambling, and how these behaviours relate to mental health, sociocultural factors, and personality. Her thesis seeks to explore predictors of stability and change in Canadians' cryptocurrency use.
Honours Students
Carter Bird
Carter is a fourth year Psychology major and is currently completing an Honours Thesis under the supervision of Dr. Daniel McGrath. His research examines the availability of safer-gambling and consumer protection features within online crypto-gambling websites known as Cryptocasinos. His ultimate goal is to study law, with a corporate specialization.
Independent Studies Students and Volunteers
Alumni
Research Staff
Daniel Andruchow, Research Assistant (2022-2023)
Kyle Tuico, Lab Coordinator (2021-2022)
Roshni Sohail, Research Assistant (2020-2022)
Sydney Seidel, Lab Coordinator (2020-2021)
Emma Ritchie, Lab Coordinator (2019-2020), Research Assistant (2016-2017)
Nicole Romanow, Lab Coordinator (2016-2019), Research Assistant (2015-2016)
Célina Boothby, Lab Coordinator (2015-2016), Research Assistant (2017)
Stefania Garlicka, Research Assistant (2017-2018)
Graduate Students
Kyle Tuico, MSc., 2022-2024
Daniel Cunningham, MSc., 2021-2023
Braydon Slack, MSc., 2020-2022
Emma Ritchie, MSc., 2017-2019
Chelsea Fitzpatrick, MSc., 2017-2019
Christina Rash, MSc., 2016-2018
Honours Students
Maria Tourani, B.A. (Hons), 2022-2023
Daniel Andruchow, B.A. (Hons), 2021-2022
Roshni Sohail, B.Sc. (Hons), 2021-2022
Stephanie Onoferychuk, B.A. (Hons), 2019-2020
Sydney Seidel, B.A. (Hons), 2019-2020
Aisha Taylor, B.A. (Hons), 2018-2019
Brett Rothery, B.Sc. (Hons), 2018-2019
Stephen Williams, B.A. (Hons), 2016-2017
Christina Rash, B.A. (Hons), M.Sc., 2015-2016
Emma Ritchie, B.A. (Hons), M.Sc., 2015-2016
Independent Studies Students and Volunteers
Eleni Moumos, Independent Studies Student (2023-2024)
Jamie Kaufhold, Independent Studies Student (2023-2024)
Denny Morrison, Independent Studies Student (2022)
Daniel Cunningham, Independent Studies Student (2020)
Tugce Bozalioglu (TJ), Volunteer (2019)
Kyla Franco, Independent Studies Student (2019)
Mallaz Naimi-Beauchamp, Independent Studies Student (2017-2018)
Emma Xie, Independent Studies Student (2017-2018)
Christine Novtizky, Independent Studies Student (2017)
Eva Fluckiger, Independent Studies Student (2017)
Brittany Horiachka, Independent Studies Student (2016-2017)
Amadeus Meitner, Independent Studies Student (2015-2016)