MEET OUR TEAM

LAB DIRECTOR

Lucia F. O’Sullivan

Dr. O’Sullivan is a social psychologist and Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick. She is also the Director of the Sex and Relationships Lab.

Her work focuses primarily on attraction and maintenance of intimate relationships, sexual health, education, and the affective and cognitive components of sexual decision-making of young adults and adolescents. A particular focus of her work in recent years has been the impact of technology and social media on intimate relationships, and with her students, has studied topics as far reaching as infidelity, fandom, romantic scripts, breakups, pornography, oral sex, cyberstalking, unwanted pursuit, and kissing. She held a Canada Research Chair in Adolescents’ Sexual Health Behaviour for ten years (2006-2016) and has received a wide range of funding from federal agencies (e.g., NIH, CIHR, SSHRC) and private foundations (e.g., Ford, NBHRF) to support her work.

Her research program frequently incorporates studies and collaborations that are international (e.g., South Africa, Guatemala, India, US, UK) and interdisciplinary.

She has published over 140 peer-reviewed scientific articles, many chapters and reviews, co-edited book on sexual coercion in dating relationships, and is a co-author on Hyde’s widely-adopted sexuality textbook (Canadian edition). In addition, she serves on ten journal editorial boards and recently served for many years a second term as Associate Editor of the Journal of Sex Research.

Finally, her research has appeared in the Globe and Mail, National Post, CBC, and was one of the most read in The Atlantic. She has a Psychology Today blog “At First Blush” which covers many of the intimate relationship topics that she studies with her team.

EDUCATION

  • B.A. (Hons.) University of New Brunswick

  • M.A. (Clinical Psychology) University of New Brunswick

  • Ph.D. (Experimental Psychology) Bowling Green State University

  • Postdoctoral Research Training (HIV) Columbia University

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Lauren Cormier

Lauren Cormier is a Clinical Psychology PhD student. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Honours), with a minor in Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies from the University of Waterloo, and graduated with distinction. Her honours thesis investigated the role of rejection sensitivity in forgiving the infidelity of a partner. At UNB, Lauren has studied the rapidly growing field of sexual technology, or "sextech," and the role it plays in sex education. Currently, her research is focused on sugar dating, transactional relationship in which an older/wealthier partner provides material resources to a younger partner in return for companionship.

Morgan Richard

Morgan Richard graduated from a BSc with a major in Biology and from a BA with Honours in Psychology (both from UNB). Her honours thesis focused on rape myth acceptance among university students and its associations with bystander intervention attitudes and sexual assault. She will be entering her fifth year of the Experimental Psychology graduate program at UNB this September. Her research interests include sexual violence, intimate relationships, and sexual health. Currently, she is researching sexual harassment and assault against massage therapists in Canada perpetrated by clients.

Amanda Bockaj

Amanda Bockaj is a Clinical Psychology student. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Honours) from York University. Her honours thesis focused on couples coping with low sexual desire, specifically women diagnosed with Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder (SIAD) and examined how different sexual motivations are associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction for both partners in the relationship. Broadly speaking, her research interests are within sexual health and satisfaction. She’s particularly interested in understanding common sexual dilemmas such as performance anxieties and sexual discrepancies in order to apply different therapeutic practices that may help these couples experiencing a sexual dysfunction. 

Emma Drudge

Emma Drudge is a Clinical Psychology PhD student. She received a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology from Dalhousie University in 2021 and a Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) from the University of King’s College in 2013. Her undergraduate research focused on emotion regulation during couples’ sexual conflict. Currently, Emma is researching barriers and facilitators to the provision of comprehensive and inclusive sex education in Canadian classrooms. Emma has a background in media and in guiding wilderness expeditions. She spends her free time planning bikepacking trips and backcountry canoe adventures! 

Anne Pattison

Anne Pattison is a first year Clinical Psychology PhD student. She received an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Queen's University in 2020, and a Master of Science in Applied Psychology from Trinity College Dublin in 2024. At UNB, Anne is currently researching body count (i.e., number of past sexual partners), and its importance for individuals and their relationships.

Kaitlyn Wilson

Kaitlyn Wilson (she/her) is a PhD student in Experimental Psychology. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (honours) from the University of New Brunswick in 2022. Kaitlyn's research currently focuses on singlehood. Specifically, she is interested in stigma against singles (Singlism) and Fear of Being Single. She also has broad interests in topics concerning women's well-being, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and abortion decision-making.

Gabby Petruzzello

Gabby Petruzzello is a 1st Year Experimental Psychology PhD student. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Central College in the United States. Her honours thesis investigated the heightened stigmatization of sexually-transmitted illnesses. Gabby is generally interested in disgust sensitivity and its relationship to sexual attitudes and behaviours. At UNB, Gabby plans to study the role that disgust sensitivity plays in sexual and romantic relationships and strategies that individuals use to attenuate such disgust.

Madison Williams

Madison Williams is an Experimental Psychology PhD student. They graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Honours) from Concordia University (Montreal) in 2022. Their undergraduate honours thesis investigated the role of sexual arousal on people’s willingness to have sex with a robot. At UNB, Madison intends to continue studying the intersection of technology and human sexuality. Currently, they are interested in the stigma surrounding men’s use of sex toys and societal perceptions of men who use them.

RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Lilias Ayres

Lilias Ayres is an undergraduate psychology student volunteering as a Research Assistant in the Sex Meets Relationships Lab. She aspires to study Clinical Psychology at the PhD level. 

Naomi Levins

Naomi Levins graduated from UNB with a BA (Honours) in Psychology. Her honours thesis focused on help-seeking characteristics among adolescents in relation to their relationships with parents. Currently, she works as a Research Assistant in the Sex Meets Relationship Lab, where she aims to enhance her research skills and hopes to continue her studies in a clinical psychology graduate program next year. Naomi is also a Child Guidance Assistant at Liberty Lane, a nonprofit shelter for female-identifying individuals who experienced domestic violence. She enjoys working with children and families and aims to apply her research knowledge to better support her clients.

Sara Hughes

Sara Hughes is an undergraduate psychology student working as a Research Assistant in the Sex Meets Relationship Lab. She hopes to study Child Psychology at the PhD level.  

Juhi Karkera

Juhi Karkera is an undergraduate student pursuing a joint honors in psychology and sociology. She volunteers as a Research Assistant in the Sex Meets Relationships Lab. She aspires to study Clinical Psychology at the PhD level.   

LAB ALUMNI

Charlene Belu

Charlene Belu completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the UNB in 2021. She is currently a member of the Couples and Sexual Health lab at Dalhousie University as a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow. Charlene has broad interests in relationships, sexuality, and sexual health. Her graduate research program examined the formation, maintenance, and breakup of romantic relationships. At Dalhousie, she is extending her research program to examine interpersonal factors that promote sexual and relational wellbeing among couples coping with sexual dysfunction. 

Jeff Foshay

Jeff Foshay is a 7th year Clinical Psychology PhD student. His research focuses on assessing the mental health impact of Unwanted Pursuit Behaviours (UPBs), such as tracking and monitoring, that commonly occur in young adult relationships. Jeff also works part-time at a child psychology clinic. Outside of his research and clinical work, Jeff’s interests include basketball, running, history, and video games.

Emily Vogels

Emily Vogels graduated in Fall 2021 with her PhD in Experimental Psychology. Her research at UNB focused on social media use, interpersonal relationships, and sexuality in the digital age. Emily is a full-time Research Associate at the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC.

Brenda Lee

Brenda Lee completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Ph.D.) at the University of New Brunswick, her pre-doctoral residency at the University of Manitoba, and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (B.A.) at the University of British Columbia. Her doctoral research focused on how individuals maintain monogamy in the face of attraction to outside others, and her other graduate research addressed unwanted pursuit behaviours post-relationship breakup in emerging adults. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her research and presentations, including placing as a finalist for the national Canadian 3MT® competition. 

Sarah Vannier

Sarah Vannier is an Associate Professor at St. Thomas University, New Brunswick.  While at UNB, her research examined sexual initiation, sexual compliance, attraction, oral sex motives, and the content of web-based pornography and her dissertation examined the association between violated romantic expectations (e.g., love at first sight, destiny) and relationship outcomes in young adults’ dating relationships. Her current research focuses on sexual and relationship well-being during the transition to parenthood and adolescence. 

Ashley Thompson

Ashley Thompson is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Ashley’s research interests include attitudes and judgments relating to romantic and sexual interpersonal relationships, the onset and maintenance of these relationships, and the role of gender in romantic and sexual relationship experiences.

Andrea Bliss

Andrea Bliss is a registered psychologist in Alberta at the OCD Program of the Mood, Anxiety, and Psychosis Service (MAPS) at Alberta Children’s Hospital and an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as well as communication in the relationships of young adults and adolescents.