Careers in Research Panel - Learn from Laurier Alumni

Discover careers in research beyond academia. 

Join an inspiring panel featuring Laurier alumni who have built meaningful careers in research-focused roles across diverse industries. They'll share their career journeys, key lessons learned and practical advice for getting started. 

We'll explore how students can make the most of their degree, ways to gain research experience as an undergrad, and the wide range of career paths available to those with strong research skills.

Attend in person or online! Join the watch party hosted at the Career Centre (192 King Street North) or join online via Zoom.  

Scroll to the bottom (on mobile) to register and receive the Zoom link.

Participating Alumni

Dani Jacobson, Research Associate III, Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners
BA '14 Psychology (Research Specialization, Minor in Religion and Culture) and MSc '16 Psychology (Cognitive Neuroscience), Wilfrid Laurier University
PhD '21 Public Health (Social and Behavioural Health Sciences, Collaborative Specialization in Women's Health), University of Toronto
Post Doctoral Fellowship '22, Women's College Hospital

• Dr. Dani Jacobson is a Research Associate III on the Patient and Family-Centered Care Research Team at the Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners. Dani received her PhD in Public Health from the University of Toronto (studying the reproductive health care experiences of women with female genital mutilation/cutting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) with a Collaborative Specialization in Women's Health. She also completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship from Women's College Hospital (studying health and social services for individuals who have been sex trafficked in Canada). Dani is invested in understanding health care system organization, including how individual behavior and experiences are shaped by institutional factors and how those factors can be transformed to improve delivery of care. Her current research uses community engagement, co-design, and arts-based methods (with patients, caregivers, health care providers, and health-system decision makers) and spans topics of aging and long-term care, alternate level of care, cancer-care, and sandwich generation women caregivers. These projects have allowed Dani to engage closely with care partners to better understand their experiences, perspectives, and work to care for their loved ones.

Bryan Smith, Product Evangelist, Ipsos 
BA '13 Psychology, MA '15 Social Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University 

• Bryan Smith has spent just over a decade at Ipsos, one of the world's largest market research firms, evolving from research analyst to product leader. He began his career in client service roles, where his drive to streamline workflows through automation caught leadership's attention and opened doors to technology-focused positions. As Data Solutions Director, he served as product owner for a Python-based data preparation tool and contributed to the rollout of Harmoni, Ipsos's data reporting platform within the Brand Health Tracking line of business. Today, as Product Evangelist, Bryan is the go-to person for Harmoni, bridging users and product teams to shape platform development while conducting user research and presenting to stakeholders from frontline teams to the C-suite. His career demonstrates how curiosity about efficiency can become a catalyst for broader organizational transformation in market research. His current focus is leading proper AI productization within the Harmoni platform.

Samantha Moeller, Research Ethics Officer, Wilfrid Laurier University
BSc '19 Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, MA Psychology '21, Brock University

• Samantha graduated from the HBSc Psychology Research Specialist program at Laurier before going on to obtain her MA in Psychology at Brock University. She began her role at Laurier as the Research Ethics Coordinator in 2021 and has since played a central role in developing institutional ethics processes and supports, such as updated ethics applications, guidelines for multi?jurisdictional research, and a range of practical resources like templates and tutorials. As the primary point of contact for those at Laurier conducting research with human participants, she regularly consults with student, faculty, and staff researchers, providing guidance on ethics review requirements, study design, consent processes, and risk mitigation strategies.

Laurel Hitchcock, Research Analyst, Ontario Ministry of Education
BSc '22 Health Sciences, Wilfrid Laurier University

This event is hosted by the Career Centre and MURA (MedSci Undergraduate Research Association). Students from all programs and levels of study are welcome to attend. 

We are committed to providing inclusive programs and services to all students and alumni. Please contact careercentre@wlu.ca if you require accommodation for a disability.