Human & Organizational Psychologists

Human and organizational psychologists are trained experts in human behaviour in the workplace, and how to improve organizational effectiveness.

Promoting a safe and healthy work environment is a core focus in this field of work. They apply their expertise to improve workplace safety by identifying the human and organizational factors that lead to serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs).

Dr. Thomas O'Neill, PhD

Tom is the principal investigator for the Hoisting, Rigging, and Lifting Creative Sentence. Tom graduated from Western University and is Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Calgary. He is the Arts-Engineering Chair in High Performance Teamwork and Engineering Education and Head of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. His interests are in socio-technical systems, specifically the intersection of culture, technology, leadership and management, and behavior in team contexts. He teaches in Executive Education at the Haskayne School of Business and has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and partnered with organizations extensively. He created ITP Metrics, which is a software platform for assessment, diagnostic, and development of high-performing teams in organizations with over 900,000 assessments taken worldwide.

Dr. Samantha Jones, PhD

Samantha Jones comes from a long line of construction workers (with some of her own experience operating equipment), farmers, miners, and first-responders. Keeping these folks safe has always been top of mind. She has finished her PhD at the University of Calgary and works with ITP Metrics to give work teams the interpersonal tools they need to succeed. Samantha is keen to help individuals and teams reach their full potential and stay safe through conflict management, self-reflection, and optimization of their skills.

Jessica Wilkins, MSc

Jess is a Human Factors and Scientific Mobilization Specialist at the University of Calgary. Her interests are in how people interact with their environments, especially in the workplace. She cares about making sure workers are performing their duties safely so everyone can go home at the end of the day, and she's passionate about learning how and why workplace injuries happen, in order to help prevent them.

Dr. Nick Turner, PhD

Nick is the Future Fund Chair in Leadership and a Professor of Organizational Behaviour at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, where he is also chair the Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources area. He joined the University of Calgary in 2015, after holding faculty positions at the University of Sheffield, Queen’s University, and the University of Manitoba. Originally from Toronto, he's a UK-Canadian dual citizen and has lived and worked in Germany, the UK, and across Canada. His research explores how work is designed, how leadership is practiced, and how organizations can create safer, healthier environments for employees. He studies the psychological factors that shape employee well-being and safety, often in high-risk or high-pressure settings. He's partnered with organizations in industries ranging from petrochemicals and steel to railways and the Royal Marine Commandos. His current work focuses on how HRM and safety systems influence injury rates in small- and medium-sized businesses across Alberta. From 2017 to 2020, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Human Relations.

Dr. Ian R. Gellatly, PhD

Ian R. Gellatly teaches courses and investigates questions having to do with the “people side” of business, especially when it comes to the kind of relationships that people form at work, and what this means for their day-to-day behavior and attitudes. Whether the topic is workplace safety, leadership, engagement/retention, or inclusivity culture, his work has found relevance within different work settings such as in Alberta’s primary industries (e.g., oil and gas; construction), non-for-profit agencies (e.g., people with disabilities), and health-care organizations/occupations. A strength over the years has been his ability to collaborate well with others and build strong research partnerships with industry partners.

Matthew McLarnon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of General Management and Human Resources at the Bissett School of Business, Mount Royal University. He teaches courses on Human Resource Management and Recruitment and Selection. Matt's program of research focuses on team dynamics and processes, employee resiliency, assessment of individual differences, and general latent variable modeling. His research appears in journals such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, and Organizational Research Methods. His research is currently funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Dr. Matthew McLarnon, PhD

Azita Zahiriharsini, PhD

Azita Zahiriharsini is a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Calgary. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and completed her PhD in Health Education and Health Promotion, where she developed and evaluated an occupational health and safety training program to identiy factors influencing safe behaviours among petrochemical workers, using mixed-methods research in collaboration with supervisors in Iran and Australia. She has held postdoctoral fellowships at the Université du Québec à Rimouski in occupational epidemiology and at the University of Alberta in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Her research focuses on preventing workplace injuries and fatalities and enhancing safety through innovative psychological approaches, and team composition and performance.

Engineers

Engineers are professionals who apply scientific and mathematical principles to design, develop, and build structures, machines, processes, and systems.

Enhancing workplace safety from an engineering perspective is tackled by incorporating safety measures throughout the design process, adhering to industry standards, conducting risk assessments, and providing training for users. Engineers focus on the application of critical controls to prevent serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs).

Dr. Estacio Pereira is currently working as an Instructor in Project Management at the University of Calgary. Dr Pereira obtained his Doctor Degree from the University of Alberta in 2017 and his Master’s degree from the Federal University of Santa Catarina. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from the University of Vale of Itajai – Brazil. Dr Pereira principal research area involves Engineering Education, Leadership, and Construction Safety Management. Dr. Pereira has worked for 5 years as a construction project manager in Brazil and has taught courses for undergrad/graduate students in Brazil, Canada, and the UK. Dr. Pereira is always seeking to merge his experiences in academia and industry to guide students in developing skills in project management and connect students with real problems to better prepare them for the job market.

Dr. Estacio Periera, PhD

Dr. Lianne Lefsrud, PhD, P.Eng

Lianne Lefsrud is a farm girl from Viking. She has worked in construction, railroading, and oil and gas. Her research examines methods of hazard identification, risk management, risk evaluation, and technology adoption in oil and gas, mining, pipelining, construction, agriculture, and railroading, among other industries. Besides doing internationally award winning research, she also provides policy and strategy advice to government and industry. She cares deeply about keeping her family, friends, and workers safe, which motivates her research and teaching.

Dr. Fereshteh Sattari, PhD, M.Ed

Fereshteh Sattari obtained her Ph.D. in Chemical & Materials Engineering-Process Control from the University of Alberta, Canada. As a Research Director and Instructor at the Lynch School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management, Chemical & Materials Engineering Department at the University of Alberta, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and supervises various research projects. Her research also includes enhancing safety management systems practices on construction projects: a proactive data-driven approach for project safety planning and control, and knowledge transfer in the oil & gas industry: a case study in the corrosion and integrity management sector. She is also a co-principal investigator in some pipeline and oil & Gas projects. In addition, she works with Alberta Innovates, researching codes, standards, and regulatory and insurance gap analysis for hydrogen value chain development. She also helps develop graduate course material and is in charge of developing new research and engagement proposals.

Dr. Junho Park, PhD

Junho is a professor in the department of Biomedical Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, and the Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Calgary. His research interests include human-AI interaction, artificial intelligence, human factors engineering, and ergonomics.

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