engAGE Centre for Research on Aging is composed of over 40 Concordia researchers across 18 departments and all four faculties who conduct research on aging.
Department of Health, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
Dr. Bacon is a behavioural scientist who is interested in understanding why people do what they do and then developing tailored interventions to help positively change high-risk behaviours. These interventions range from targeting individuals through to policies. Most of this work has focused on health behaviours and has targeted health-related outcomes, e.g., reducing the development and progression of chronic diseases.
Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Benali’s area of research is in the modelling of normal and pathological dynamics of the brain's anatomo-functional circuits observed by neuroimaging tools in order to better understand brain activity in healthy aging and disease.
Associate Professor, Department of Health, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
Professor, Management
Professor, Communications Studies
Dr. Chia’s area of research is in media effects on older adults’ health behavior, health-related decision making, and subjective well-being. She utilizes quantitative methods such as survey and experiments in her research.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Dr. Coffey’s research focuses on complex tasks such as hearing-in-noise perception, and how the brain changes with training. She also examines how training and sleep interventions can maintain auditory and language function, and improve learning and quality of life throughout the lifespan.
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Technology
Dr. Cucinelli’s research-creation program focuses on the social, cultural and educational impacts of technology and how technology is experienced as one ages in a networked society. Her research explores intergenerational storytelling and media making for social and civic engagement.
Professor, Educational Technology
Dr. Davidson’s research explores how people from diverse backgrounds learn to live, work, and engage with digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Her work centers on the development of serious games, challenge-based learning, and tools that foster awareness and critical thinking skills.
Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
Professor, Department of Management
Dr. Dyer studies the interpersonal interactions among workers of diverse age groups, and how their beliefs may affect motivation and work performance. She is intrigued by small entrepreneurial businesses, and how aging business owners plan to pass the baton to their successors.
Associate Professor, Department of Applied Human Sciences
Darla Fortune’s research focuses on practices of inclusion and experiences of belonging, particularly within community leisure spaces. She is interested in developing broader perspectives of inclusion and working toward enhancing experiences of belonging for individuals who may be at risk of being stigmatized and excluded.
Assistant Professor, Department of Design & Computation Arts
Dr. Grond’s research and artistic practice intersect immersive audio methodologies, participatory design, and assistive technologies to create inclusive sensory experiences. He collaborates with engAGE through his inclusive and adaptive design course DCART484.
Associate Professor, Department of Applied Human Sciences
Dr. Hebblethwaite's research focuses broadly on social inclusion for marginalized communities, including older adults. Her work on aging critically explores intergenerational relationships in families and, most recently, how digital media is implicated in these relationships.
Professor, Management
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies
Dr. Hernández employs research-creation methods to investigate and communicate the ways in which people incorporate, challenge, or subvert infrastructures through everyday practices. Her current research addresses the ways in which an aged rural community in Chile resists water privatization.
Professor Emeritus, Department of Communication Studies
Dr. Jiwani’s research examines media representations of race and gender as it intersects with sexuality, age, ability and religion. She is currently working on a project on virtual graveyards.
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
Dr. Joy’s research explores the roles, programs, and capacities of municipal governments and non-profit organizations to support senior citizens to age in cities. This interest has led to a focus on the design and implementation of Age Friendly City and Community programs in Canadian cities.
Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
Associate Professor, Department of Economics
Dr. Koreshkova’s research studies economic decisions of the elderly in the context of old-age risks and evaluates effects of government policies on the well-being of the elderly. Her most recent research models look at the demand and supply of long-term care and private long-term care insurance.
Professor, Department of Finance
Dr. Kryzanowski's research focuses on the empowerment of older individuals through improved financial literacy. He studies the affect on managerial conservatism and decisions when pension benefits represent a greater proportion of an executive’s compensation as the period to retirement declines.
Professor, Department of Political Science
Dr. Marier’s research in social gerontology focuses on the impact of aging populations on a number of public policy fields including pensions, labour, and social services and programs across comparative cases within Canada or with countries such as Sweden, France and South Korea.
Affiliate Professor, School of Community and Public Affairs
Dr. O'Donnell's research promotes the understanding and vitality of Quebec’s English-language minority communities. In 2014, she contributed to a major study of Quebec's English-speaking seniors, in partnership with the Quebec Community Groups Network and in 2025 reviewed a report on this subject. Dr. O'Donnell also conducts historical research on women's work.
Professor, Department of Psychology
Dr. Phillips’ research explores speech and language processes in older adults and in persons with or at risk for Alzheimer's disease. She also examines how speaking more than one language influences brain processing and structure across the lifespan.
Research Associate, Department of Health, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
Professor, Department of Communication Studies
Dr. Sawchuk’s intersectional research on ageing in networked societies challenges lingering ageist assumptions within media studies, where old age and new media are often positioned as incommensurable topics. She has done foundational research on seniors and cell phones and theoretical work on “forced mediatization.”
Associate Professor, Creative Arts Therapies
Dr. Timm-Bottos’ research investigates the community art studio as a therapeutic site for individual, family and community healing. She advocates for the return of small, welcoming, free community art spaces open to everyone, especially older adults.
Professor, Department of Biology
Dr. Titorenko investigates molecular mechanisms by which mutations, diets and natural chemicals delay aging of cells. Using the brewer's/baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, he discovered natural chemical molecules that delay cellular aging and kill cultured human neuroblastoma, glioma, prostate and breast cancer cells.
Associate Professor, Department of Creative Arts Therapies
Dr. Young’s research focuses on developing best practice models for therapeutic and practical applications of music/music therapy within various healthcare, psychosocial, and community contexts. She is interested in understanding how music/music therapy can help individuals and communities reach their full potential for aging well.
Professor, Biology
Professor, Department of Health, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
Dr. Dang-Vu’s research program includes studies investigating the role of sleep in age-related cognitive decline, as well as the impact of sleep disorders and their treatment on cognition in the elderly population.
Assistant Professor, Communications
Assistant Professor, Department of Physics
Dr. Gauthier’s research investigates the impact of aging and lifestyle on the brain through cerebral metabolic and vascular imaging, functional MRI BOLD signal modeling and quantitative imaging of plasticity.
Professor, Psychology
Dr Gouin investigates the impact of positive and negative social experiences, such as intimacy, social support, loneliness, or interpersonal conflict on risk for age-related chronic diseases. His research examines the psychological, behavioural, and physiological pathways linking social experiences and health outcomes. Much of this work is done with older adult couples, examining how spouses influence one another emotions and health behaviours, such as sleep, physical activity, and eating habits.
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
Dr. Johnson’s research investigates how the onset of visual impairment impact both functional task performance, and the mental health of the individual that is experiencing the vision loss. He is also interested in the stigma that can be associated with vision loss.
Adjunct Professor, Department of Management
Dr. Leithman’s research focuses on mature workers, knowledge sharing in organizations and the retirement transition. Her work explores late career motivation and the design of age friendly workplaces.
Professor, Department of Psychology
Dr. Li's research centers on age-related changes in complex cognitive performance, such as listening while walking, or rapidly alternating between two tasks. She uses experimental techniques as well as intervention designs to improve listening performance and mobility in older adults.
Professor, Health, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
Dr. Pepin’s research aims to assess how exercise-training programs affect the health of older adults with various chronic conditions, with a focus on lung conditions. She also has a growing interest in physical activity patterns and their interaction with sleep in adults.
Professor, Department of Psychology
Dr. Wrosch's research identifies pathways to successful living across the adult lifespan. His research examines how older adults can effectively manage common age-related challenges and protect their psychological, biological, and physical health.
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