Education:

B.Sc. Psychology Research Specialist, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Ph.D., M.Sc. in Clinical Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

Pre-doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology completed at the IWK Health Center, Halifax, NS, Canada

Post-doctoral training completed at the University of Notre Dame, IN, USA

Bio:

My research interests lie in the areas of personality development and developmental psychopathology with an emphasis on multi-informant and multi-method assessment, evidence-based measure development, and advanced quantitative methods. Some of my past work has explored the role of temperamental emotionality in internalizing psychopathology, and the influence of methodology on the conclusions that one draws in developmental models of depression vulnerability. This research was performed in the context of longitudinal designs in the hopes of creating a comprehensive model of transdiagnostic risk for the internalizing spectrum of psychopathology, including temperamental, psychophysiological, and cognitive pathways.

In addition to assessment of child temperament and its role as a transdiagnostic risk factor, I am interested in the interplay between personality and psychopathology beyond the child-developmental period. Being a member of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) consortium, Clinical Translation and Measures Development Workgroups in particular, I also contribute to the research literature on improving the organization, description, and measurement of psychopathology. My current focus within the HiTOP consortium is on developing a system for evidence-based ranges permitting informed categorical decision making in clinical practice.

Given my long-standing interest in statistical methods and evidence-based measure development, I am continuing to explore structural, methodological, and developmental issues in assessment of personality and temperament, including maladaptive personality traits. My postdoctoral research at the Center for Advanced Measurement of Personality and Psychopathology (CAMPP), University of Notre Dame focused on the structural and methodological issues in assessment of maladaptive personality traits and developing a better understanding of how such traits are related to functional impairment in daily life. With Dr. Lee Anna Clark, the developer of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality and a world-class leader in personality disorder conceptualization and assessment, we developed a significantly shortened version of this measure, the SNAP Brief Self-Description Rating Form (SNAP-BSRF) and its informant counterpart, the SNAP Brief Other-Description Rating Form (SNAP-BORF). Currently, together with my research team at the U of A, I am working on developing a battery of theoretically and empirically grounded measures of temperament/personality across the lifespan to increase understanding of how these traits contribute to the development of psychopathology. 

Kelsie is a Doctoral student in the School and Child Clinical Psychology program at the University of Alberta. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Applied Emphasis) with high distinction and a minor in forensic sociology in 2020. Kelsie's professional interests are primarily in the area of clinical assessments. She currently works as a psychometrist at two private practices, and has extensive experience administering and scoring neuropsychological, cognitive, and personality assessments. Her main research interests involve developmental self-regulation in youth, and she aspires to engage in further clinical experience in pediatric neuropsychology.

In her private life, Kelsie is passionate about cooking, gardening, and camping. With over 20 houseplants and a backyard full of blooming flowers and perennials,  Kelsie, her husband, her three cats, and senior dog are living their best lives!

Amanda completed her Bachelor of Science degree, specializing in psychology at the University of Alberta, and her Master of Counselling degree at City University of Seattle. She is currently completing her PhD in School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP) at the University of Alberta and with the SAMPL lab team. Professionally, Amanda is a Registered Psychologist and provides counselling and assessments services in the private sector. She works with youth, adults, and families. 

Amanda has a special interest in developmental trajectories, multi-informant and multi-method assessment, evidence-based measure development, working with youth at risk, and structurally marginalized populations. She is also interested in dimensional conceptualizations of psychopathology, and how these relate to temperament and personality development in children and youth.

Zuha is a Master’s student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Alberta. She graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Psychology from the University of Calgary, where her research examined the bidirectional relationship between family-level factors (marital quality and parenting behaviours) and internalizing symptoms in adolescents. This experience ignited her interest in exploring risk factors for internalizing psychopathology, an area of research she is excited to pursue further at the SAMPL lab.

Her research interests and experiences also include addressing the racial and ethnic disparities in mental health outcomes for children and youth, cultural differences in the assessment and measurement of psychological disorders, and improving culturally-competent mental health care.

Outside of school and work, Zuha enjoys everything artistic - including painting, creating air dry clay projects, crocheting, and doing photography! 

Kiran is a Doctoral student in the Counselling Psychology program at the University of Alberta. She completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology and Master of Education in Counselling at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). Professionally, she is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in the province of British Columbia. 

Her research interests and experiences are quite broad. She has previously worked on projects related to visual word recognition, compassion, identity, patient-oriented work, and rural and remote health. For her dissertation, she will be examining the experiences of self-compassion in female veterans. 

Kiran is excited to join the SAMPL lab! She looks forward to learning about personality development, maladaptive personality traits, and assessment methods. In her spare time, Kiran enjoys the occasional afternoon nap and eating baked goods.  

Nicole is an undergraduate student in the honors program at the University of New Orleans where she will receive her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. She developed an interest in Psychology research after taking the Research Methods and Statistics course with Dr. Kotelnikova in Fall of 2019, where she studied the effects of internal and external stigma on one’s seeking mental health services. She was a recipient of the Richard D. Olson Award in Experimental Design and Methodology for her work in the course. Nicole then was an undergraduate teaching assistant for the Research Methods course in Spring of 2020. After this experience, she was chosen by Dr. Kotelnikova for the Tolmas COSURP Award where she was able to gain more extensive research experience as a paid undergraduate researcher, which led to her presenting her done work with Dr. Kotelnikova and colleagues on An Evidence Based Assessment of Temperament in Preschoolers: A Measure Development Project at the Innovate UNO Research Symposium in Fall of 2020, where she was awarded the 2nd Place Undergraduate Award. Since Spring of 2021, Nicole has been working with Dr. Matt Scalco at the University of New Orleans aiding in data collection for the New Orleans Adolescent Risk and Resilience Study. Nicole is currently exploring her options for post-graduate schooling and in-the-field work experience.

 Joseph received his B.S. in general psychology from Louisiana State University in 2008. In 2012, he graduated with his M.A. in psychology from Southeastern Louisiana University with research experience in cognitive and social psychology. He has extensive experience in teaching undergraduate courses, with particular focus in research methods. Since graduating, he has provided several years of mental health service to the Greater New Orleans area. His research interests lie in novel biological approaches to personality and temperament assessment. He entered into the Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of New Orleans in Fall of 2020 and is currently studying in the Applied Biopsychology program.