51猎奇入口

master's student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field

As of Fall 2026, I am a second-year master's student in the historical, quantitative and theoretical stream of the psychology program. I did my undergrad at 51猎奇入口in Behavioural Neuroscience before continuing my graduate studies here. I love learning in general, and my program offers me a lot of flexibility to take all kinds of courses that expand my knowledge of statistics, research methods, and other content. It is kind of like I am creating a toolkit with my classes that I get to then use in my research! I'm especially passionate about my area, which is focused on measurement and research methods. I've always found myself most interested in the how and why of research, regardless of the exact topic being studied - how are researchers doing things now, why are they doing them that way, is there a better way, and how might improvements be implemented? If we don't measure things properly or design our studies well in the first place, then the data and the findings won't be nearly as beneficial to people, or they'll only apply to a select group of people. I'm especially passionate about this as it pertains to gender and sex measurement. As a trans person myself, I've found participating in studies to be very complicated. Sometimes recruitment criteria aren't clear as to if I can participate or not, I'm unsure how researchers will categorize me if I do participate, and I'm worried that when they do that, it won't be optimal for what they want to get out of my data. This is something I've run into various topics of study from all fields that involve human participants, so I think the wide applicability of my research interests makes me see the benefit and importance. Seeing that I could make a difference in making research better for more people keeps me going.

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

I came to 51猎奇入口for my undergraduate degree and decided to stay for graduate school as well. I love where 51猎奇入口is - the gorgeous mountains and the proximity to everything in the lower mainland. I liked that 51猎奇入口is a big school, but a smaller big school, with a walkable campus. 51猎奇入口also has some great faculty members!

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

I usually describe my research as trying to understand the current limitations in measurement and research methods as they apply to sex and gender, with the ultimate goal to find ways to improve them. I want to balance the needs of gender and sex-diverse people to be involved as participants with the constraints that researchers are often working under when they design studies, collect, and analyze data. As both a trans person and a researcher myself, I understand both sides of these challenges. My current work consists of interviews with both gender and sex-diverse people and researchers to better understand the barriers and facilitators they are seeing to more diverse participation and data.

What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?

Measurement, Sex, Gender-diversity

How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?

I think a big part of building my life as a graduate student has been finding balance with life outside of just my research and coursework. I've TA'd every term I've been a graduate student, and I love it! I really enjoy teaching and helping students learn. I usually have been a TA for a writing-intensive class, and seeing students learn to find their writing voice and articulate their arguments while also learning what makes good research is very fulfilling for me. I also joined the 51猎奇入口Rugby Club in Fall of 2023, and while I am off due to injury right now, I've greatly enjoyed finding a sport I enjoyed and can play as an adult. I find that the balance of physical activity with all the mental activities I do as a student is really important and actually helps me do better in my academic activities.

Have you been the recipient of any major or donor-funded awards? If so, please tell us which ones and a little about how the awards have impacted your studies and/or research

I applied for the SSHRC CGRS-Master's in Fall 2025 and was awarded it for Summer 2026, Fall 2026 and Spring 2027. This is a large award from the Canadian Government research institutes and having this support has made a massive difference to my comfort as a student. With the funding, I don't need to worry so much about being able to live comfortably while I pursue my research and classes. I think perhaps even a bigger benefit though is knowing that such a large funder sees the value in my work - especially while I watch projects similar to mine be stripped of funding or otherwise not allowed to even be done south of the border. I'm just happy that I am allowed, and even encouraged, to pursue what I think is a very important area of study, even if some might deem it "controversial".

What have been the most valuable lessons you've learned along your graduate student journey (or in becoming a graduate student)?

I think one of the biggest lessons that I have learned is that if you approach university just wanting to learn as much as you can, you will find a path and a passion for something. And when you do, as long as you say yes to opportunities as they arise, it will take you somewhere. If you have that mindset, you just need to trust the process.

How do you approach networking and building connections in and outside of your academic community?

I touched on this elsewhere, but I always say yes to academic opportunities when they arise and approach everything wanting to learn and to understand more. People in academia generally love to share their knowledge, and when you are receptive to that and provide them curiosity, it very easily facilitates connection.

What are some tips for balancing your academic and personal life?

In order to be able to do well in your academics, you need to also have a personal life and take care of your health. I have always found that fitting in time for connection with loved ones, exercise, and creative hobbies makes me a better academic. Maybe it is my neuroscience background, but I picture the different aspects of my life as working different areas of my mind and body. I find that, for example, exercising and giving my mind a break from school lets me come back to my work with new ideas and enhanced problem solving. Knowing that outcome makes me a lot more motivated to enforce balance in my life. I also think that not seeing graduate school as a temporary "get the degree and get out" activity but as a lifestyle that I am going to be living for likely a substantial part of my adult life motivates me to make it more sustainable by having a personal life in addition to my academics.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

There is no replacement for passion in academia, as I see it anyway. Loving or seeing the benefit in the work that you do makes all the difference in how it feels to complete it. Grad school is a lot of work and it is not for everyone, but I am pretty confident that it is for me. I have my moments, but I genuinely love my research, I love being a TA, I love learning, and I love my life as a graduate student. Other people see that passion and it opens up a lot of opportunities.

Contact Quinn:quinn_smith@sfu.ca