With a background in Psychology (BA, 2010), Philosophy (BA, 2014), and Sustainability Management (MES - WATER, 2017), Lauren came to the SEE Lab for her PhD (SERS, UWaterloo, 2023) to study whether water crisis communication functioned as a mortality reminder from a Terror Management Theory perspective. Lauren obtained a SSHRC Vanier CGS and determined certain water crises activated death-thoughts (results published in People & Nature) and reinforced environmental worldviews (coming in PsyEcology, 2025) in her participants. They also tested water crises influence on judgements about female vs. male water managers, to explore the gender equity gap in water management (under review).

Lauren is expanding her research as a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at Royal Roads University to further investigate gender dynamics within environmental care work commitments. She is combining her expertise in social psychology, social marketing, feminist care ethics, and pro-environmental behaviour change to focus current research on climate communication, behaviour, emotions, and gender equity. Her research aims to increase pro-environmental behaviour through examining why people make the environmental choices they do, who is participating in environmental care-work, and recognizing the emotions (e.g., awe, fear, empathy) involved.When not reading about existential dread or adding to her skull collection,

Lauren can be found hiking or searching for whales with her hairless cat, Aura.