The following is adapted from the nomination letter provided by C. Chapman.

Dr. Dana Hayward is an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta who joined the U of A after completing her PhD at McGill University and a postdoctoral fellowship at Concordia University. She also holds a B.Sc. in Behavioural Biology from the University of Toronto and a B.Ed. from York University, in addition to a M.Sc. in Experimental Psychology from McGill.

Dana has succeeded at every step of her academic trajectory – she has received tri-council funding as a graduate student, as a post-doc, and now as a principal investigator, having secured a Discovery Grant from NSERC to fund her research. Dana has received accolades throughout her career, including numerous awards for excellence in academics, written and oral presentations, and mentorship. Recently, she was awarded the 2024 University of Alberta Faculty of Arts Research Excellence Award.

Dana’s research record is similarly exceptional. She already has more than twenty peer-reviewed publications. She is one of Canada’s leading experts on social attention, and she has achieved that status by using a variety of quantitative statistical paradigms including eye tracking, psychophysics and EEG. Her work spans a broad range of research topics united by the common thread of social attention. This has allowed her to contribute to the literature in areas as diverse as anxiety, eating disorders, and online gaming. Her exceptional work in the area of social attention is supported by more than $500,000 in internal and external funding and has been published in highly regarded outlets such as the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, Cerebral Cortex, Scientific Reports, Human Brain Mapping, and Experimental Brain Research. The high calibre of her research earned her the 2017 CPA/CSBBCS CJEP Best Article Award, and the the 2018 Early Career Award from the Society for Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Science.

Dana has cultivated a rich and supportive training environment that provides students with diverse opportunities for growth and development. Her commitment extends beyond traditional research supervision to encompass a holistic approach that fosters both academic excellence and professional advancement. Her mentorship style is distinguished by its all-encompassing perspective, combining rigorous academic training with a deep commitment to fostering inclusivity, well-being, and a sense of community.

Dana has contributed service to the academic community through her participation as co-organizer of the 2024 annual meeting of CSBBCS at the University of Alberta, and her current role as a member of the CSBBCS Executive. In addition, she has served as an Editorial Board Member for CJEP since 2023. At home, she is a highly sought after supervisor and committee member, having participated in the supervision of well over 100 trainees and students.