PROFESSOR PROFILES

Student Opportunities/Supervising

The Child Memory Lab is always interested in hearing from students looking for any of the following:

• Prospective MA or PhD students (in Developmental Psychology)
• Prospective undergraduate Honours Thesis students
• Prospective graduate comprehensive students
• Undergraduate Research Assistants (including NSERC USRA applicants)
• Student Volunteers (undergraduate or senior high school)

Excellent work ethic, reliability and responsibility are heavily considered when reviewing prospective students. If you have any questions about work in the lab, feel free to contact me for more information.

Biography/Academic Background

After completing my PhD at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., I spent 5 years working with Dr. Michael Lamb at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland.

I joined the faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2001 and was promoted to professor in 2009. While at Laurier, my research has been funded through grants awarded from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC); the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC); the Canadian Foundation for Innovation; the Ontario Innovation Trust; the Ministry of Enterprise; Opportunity and Innovation; the Australian Research Council, and the Department of Justice. 

I run the Child Memory Lab and enjoy working with graduate and undergraduate students, families in the community, doctors, nurses, social workers, lawyers, teachers and other professionals who work with children. I founded the BrainWorx summer camp to improve the diversity of children involved in STEM. I am regularly consulted by judges, attorneys, police services and social work agencies regarding proper interviewing practices with children.

Research Interests/Ongoing Projects

I conduct basic and applied research using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. My research has forensic and educational applications. Forensic: I am interested in issues regarding children in the legal system such as memories of sexual abuse, interviews of alleged child victims and witnesses, and children's experiences in the court system. Educational: I am interested in how children learn information from a variety of sources (e.g., the internet, peers, parents) and how knowledge develops over time.

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at Wilfrid Laurier University. My research interests lie primarily in understanding the ways young people experience meaningfulness in movement (for instance, in physical education, youth sport and other movement-based contexts) and identifying practical tools by which movement practitioners (such as teachers and coaches) can help foster meaningful movement experiences for participants. A secondary line of my research has focused on supporting teachers and coaches in their professional learning journey. I have experience with a variety of qualitative research methodologies and methods. I am on leave for the 2024-2025 school year but am keen to welcome both undergraduate and graduate students with similar research interests into my lab for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. Please reach out if you have any questions or would like to chat about research opportunities in my lab.

sbeni@wlu.ca

+1 548-889-3635