Guelph Selection Lab
Guelph Selection Lab
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Lab Members

Lab Director

Dr. Deborah Powell

Dr. Powell is a professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the University of Guelph. Her research is focused on fair and valid hiring practices, including interviews, personality assessments , and other selection methods. She is particularly interested in how job applicants behave in the interview (e.g., using impression management, or dealing with feeling anxious) and how those behaviours affect their performance in the interview. She is also interested in how organizations can improve their selection practices to optimize the applicants’ experience throughout the selection process (e.g., so applicants feel less anxious, and are able to demonstrate their job-relevant skills). If you are interested in doing graduate work in I-O Psychology under her supervision, please contact her at dpowell@uoguelph.ca.

Current PhD Students

Rachel Appiah

Rachel is a first-year PhD student in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the University of Guelph. Her research interests center on recruitment and selection processes, and identity management strategies in organizational settings.  Outside of her academic pursuits, she enjoys exploring Toronto’s vibrant food scene, training her dog, and challenging herself through new fitness activities.

Brooke Charbonneau

Brooke Charbonneau is a Ph.D. candidate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at the University of Guelph. Her research focuses on candidate self-presentation in job interviews, and she conducts qualitative and quantitative research in this area. She is currently conducting qualitative research investigating how job interviewees select specific past experiences to discuss during structured behavioural job interviews.

Brooke holds a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Art History and French from Queen’s University. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, and travelling.

Simonne Mastrella

Simonne Mastrella is a PhD Candidate in the Guelph Selection Lab. She received her MA in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Guelph and her BSc in Psychology (Research Specialist) and Economics from the University of Toronto. She has published research on personnel selection, with focuses on interview anxiety and impression management. Her Master’s thesis, which examined the effects of anxious body language on job interview performance, has been featured on psychology blogs and podcasts.

Most recently, Simonne is exploring her emerging interest in how we can make workplaces better for employees living with disabilities. Specifically, her dissertation is investigating the experience of disclosing invisible disabilities at work. Her research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Psychological Association, and the University of Guelph’s Workplace Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Graduate Research Fund.

When Simonne is not reading and writing about research, she can be found reading and writing fiction.

Rahul Patel

Rahul Patel is a second-year Ph.D. Candidate studying Industrial/Organizational Psychology at the University of Guelph. He has diverse experience consulting organizations on recruitment and selection practices, from start-ups to private and public sector organizations. As a previous senior management consultant with Organization and Management Solutions (OMS), Rahul led a team of five consultants in developing a valid, reliable, and bias-free written standardized test and leveraged an evidence-based approach by integrating insights from the scholarly literature and unique client needs. In addition, he trained a team of consultants in administering structured interview training to over 50 hiring managers. He assisted in translating findings from the selection literature into creating comprehensive, structured interview guides that future hiring managers can use to hire their staff validly and reliably. His research interests are centered on improving candidates’ experiences of video interviews by optimizing their design. Rahul holds a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology from Queen’s University. He is also an active member of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP).

Current Masters Students

Corey Wood

Corey Wood (she/her) is a second-year Master’s student in I-O Psychology at UofG. Her research explores how recruitment and selection experiences influence job seekers’ motivation and confidence, focusing on candidate needs and self-determination theory. She is particularly interested in bridging the gap between academic research and real-world hiring practices. Outside the lab, Corey enjoys organizing electronic dance music festival trips, hiking with her dog, and exploring creative ways to practice mindfulness. 

Shalyla Lazanik

I am a second-year MA student in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology in Dr. Powell’s lab. My research focuses on anxious interview applicants and how they are perceived by interviewers. I am also a consultant for OMS at the University of Guelph. Outside of school I love to travel, read, and hike when I can.

Current Honours Thesis Students

Mariangela Del Monaco

Mariangela (Mari) Del Monaco (she/her) is a passionate third-year Honours B.A. Psychology student, minoring in philosophy. She is beginning her thesis under Dr. Powell in fall 2025. Currently, Mari is a researcher in Dr. Leanne Son Hing’s JEDI Lab; she’s previously volunteered in Dr. Kieran O’Doherty’s DSP Lab as well, where she published a blog post to a Critical Health Psychology forum. This summer, Mari is excited to visit New Haven, USA, to study bioethics at Yale University. There, she will be completing her first research project and poster. Outside of research, Mari enjoys distance running, oil painting, and listening to house music.

Monique Milley

Hi! I’m Monique, a fourth-year Honours Psychology student with a minor in Neuroscience. My research interests lie broadly within the field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, with a current focus on topics related to workplace interviews. I am from Calgary, Alberta so I enjoy spending my weekends going to the mountains and hiking whenever I can.

Alumni Lab Members

Graduate Student Alumni

Melissa Pike, MA & PhD (2017-2023)

Jordan Moore, MA (2019-2021)

  • Current Position: Training Facilitator at Vine Group Mortgage Alliance
  • Masters Thesis: Interventions to Improve the Candidate Experience of Structured Videoconference Interviews (2023) https://doi.org/10.25035/pad.2023.01.001

Hannah Teja, MA (2019-2021)

  • Current Position: Learning and Development Specialist at York University
  • Master’s Thesis: Self-Promotion in the Structured Interview – No Evidence of Differential Effects for Men and Women (2023) https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000315

Jordan Ho, MA & PhD (2016-2021)

  • Current Position: Data Science Manager at Rogers Communications
  • Master’s Thesis: The influence of competition on motivation to fake in employment interviews
  • PhD thesis projects:

Irene Zhang, MA (2018-2020)

  • Current Position: Assessment Specialist at Government of Canada
  • Master’s Thesis: The role of fear of negative evaluation in interview anxiety and social-evaluative workplace anxiety https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12365

Amanda Amaral, MA (2015-2017)

  • Current Position: Research Analyst
  • Master’s Thesis: Why Does Honest Impression Management Positively Influence Interview Ratings? The Mediating Effect of Interviewers’ Perceptions https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12260

Sulan Kith, MA (2015-2017)

  • Current Position: Doctoral Candidate and Psychometrician
  • Master’s Thesis: The structured interview’s resistance to gender discrimination under cognitive load https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12361

Paul Comeault, MA (2012-2014)

Eugénie Legare-Saint-Laurent, MA (2012-2014)

Leann Schneider, MA & PhD (2010-2012)

Daniella Challes, MA (2009-2011)

Amanda Tobe, MA & PhD (2008-2014)

Recent Honours Thesis Alumni

  • Guiliana Mascia (2024-2025)
    • Honours Project: Individual’s Preferences for Features in Asynchronous Video Interviews (AVIs) (2025)

  • Cory Pryce (2024-2025)
    • Honours Project: Exploring Candidate Needs in the Job Search Process (2025)