Lab Director

Jonathan Rush, PhD

Dr. Rush is an Assistant Professor in Lifespan Health and Development within the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria. His research utilizes a variety of innovative research methods and analyses to address longitudinal questions of change and variation in health and well-being across the lifespan. He has particular expertise with multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, and intensive longitudinal research designs that examine patterns of behaviour across multiple timescales.

Dr. Rush will be accepting graduate students for September 2026.

Curriculum Vitae | Google Scholar Profile | University Webpage

Email: jrush@uvic.ca

Tara Cooper

Tara is a Doctoral student in the Lifespan Health and Development program. Tara’s research interests focus on modifiable behaviours that relate to healthy cognitive aging, particularly individual differences in cognitive decline related to environmental, psychological, and social life experiences. Tara’s Master’s thesis focused on how the lifelong impairment caused by symptoms of ADHD/diagnosed ADHD related to dementia. In her PhD, she is seeking to explore opportunities across the lifespan to extend one’s healthspan and delay cognitive decline.

Ava Grace Smith

Ava Grace is a Master of Science student in the Lifespan Health and Development program. Ava Grace’s research interests focus on aging, well-being, and mental health in older adulthood. Her Honour’s thesis examined how cognitive reappraisal interacts with anxiety to influence well-being among individuals facing chronic illness. In her Master’s, she plans to further examine how experiences such as solitude and social connection contribute to successful aging.

Breanna McCreary

Breanna is a Doctoral student in the Department of Psychology’s Individualized program. Breanna’s research adopts critical social psychology perspectives to investigate the social and psychological determinants of collective and individual actions on climate change. Breanna is working as an RA on the Daily Experiences of Climate Change Distress project.

Otis Geddes

Otis is a second year Master’s student in the Social Psychology program. Otis is interested in understanding the impact of climate change anxiety on well-being and motivations to engage in pro-environmental behaviours. Otis is working as an RA on the Daily Experiences of Climate Change Distress project and the ATLAS project.

Zoë Gilson

Zoë is a second year Master’s student in the Clinical Psychology program. Her research interests are in the area of cognitive aging and the psychosocial, lifestyle, and neurological factors that relate to symptoms of cognitive decline. Zoë is collaborating with the Slow Lab on the development of mHealth Intervention materials aimed at promoting lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older adults.

Laura Hoeflich

Laura is a fourth-year psychology student currently completing her Honour’s thesis under the supervision of Dr. Rush. Her project is examining the impact of mobile phone and social media use on social connection, mental health and well-being. Laura’s research interests include mental health disorders in adolescents and young adults, particularly, anxiety, mood, personality, and psychotic disorders. After her undergrad, she hopes to pursue a degree in clinical psychology and contribute to removing the stigma surrounding mental health while making services more accessible.

Verity Carrie

Verity is a fourth year undergraduate student studying Biology and Psychology as a combined major. She is interested in daily psychological wellbeing and its biological underpinnings. Verity is working as an RA on the Daily Experiences of Climate Change Distress project.

Ahneke van Lankvelt

Ahneke is a third year undergraduate student studying Biology and Psychology. She was a recipient of the 2023 VKURA internship award. Through this award, Ahneke examined factors that either limit or support opportunities for active transportation and micro-mobility use in older adults. Ahneke’s work has contributed toward the development of the ATLAS project.