Title:
Assistant Professor, Psychology
Principal Investigator, SWell Lab
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
About: Dr. Samantha Dawson is an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia and a registered Clinical Psychologist. Since 2009, her research program has focused on identifying mechanisms contributing to sexual function and sexual well-being in individuals and couples, with the goal of using these mechanisms to develop targeted interventions for sexual dysfunction. Her clinical interests include evidence-based interventions for sexual dysfunction.
Title: Post-Doctoral Fellow
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
About: Originally from Portugal, Dr. Inês Tavares joined the SWell Lab as a postdoctoral fellow following completion of her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Porto. Her research integrates laboratory and survey-based methodologies, as well as individual and dyadic approaches to examine biopsychosocial predictors of sexual well-being in clinical and community populations. She is the recipient of a SSHRC Banting Postdoctoral fellowship to work with Dr. Samantha Dawson and Dr. Natalie Rosen (Dalhousie University). During her postdoctoral program, Inês will be developing and testing an online and evidence-based program focused on the prevention of sexual difficulties in couples transitioning to parenthood. Ultimately, her research interests serve the goal of informing the development of better treatment options for the sexual health and well-being of individuals and couples.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Title: PhD Student
About: Originally from Nova Scotia, Erin graduated with an Honours degree in Psychology from Dalhousie University in 2020. She is now an MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at UBC. Her research in the SWell Lab currently focuses on discovering novel methods for improving sexual and relationship well-being in at-risk populations (e.g., couples transitioning to parenthood) and promoting evidence-based sexual education. Outside of the lab, Erin’s interests include cooking, cycling, playing chess and making music!
Title: PhD Student
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
About: Marta is a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology and member of the Sexuality and Well-Being Lab. She has a particular interest in integrating dyadic and longitudinal methods to better understand individual and relational processes that contribute to sexual function. Her current research examines sexual pleasure (what it is, who experiences it, how it shapes people’s sexual well-being), and sexual function problems that affect individuals and couples (e.g., genito-pelvic dysaesthesias, sexual desire discrepancies). Outside the lab, she is passionate about swimming, spending time at the beach with her partner and their dog, and playing Tears of the Kingdom.
Title: MA Student
Pronouns: She/They
About: Kiarah is a first-year MA student in the UBC Clinical Psychology Program. Their research interests are twofold: First, to examine the modifiable factors impacting the sexual well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals and couples. Second, to use psychophysiological and eye tracking methods to explore gender and sexual orientation differences in sexual response patterns. These research interests serve the overarching goal of developing accessible interventions for bolstering the sexual well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals and couples.
Title: MA Student
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
About: Simone is a second-year MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at UBC. Simone is interested in integrating multiple research methodologies (e.g., eye-tracking, psychophysiology, self-report) to better understand the role of attention and inattention in promoting and interfering with sexual well-being. Her research aims to examine common distractors (e.g., poor genital self-image) and modifiable factors (e.g., mindfulness) associated with sexual well-being, with the overarching goal of developing novel interventions to bolster sexual well-being in individuals and couples.
Title: MA Student
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
About: Anuki is a first-year MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at UBC. Her research at the SWell Lab revolves around the sexual experiences of racial and ethnic minorities and the individual, interpersonal, and societal processes that contribute to their sexual well-being. Anuki integrates meta-scientific research into her descriptive qualitative work and variation-enhancing quantitative designs to develop an understanding of sexual well-being that generalizes beyond a single population, measurement model, or statistical procedure while capturing the complexity of real-world phenomena.
Title: Former Honours Student; NSERC USRA Summer Student; Directed Studies Student
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
