Professor Suzanne Wood joined the Department of Psychology in 2014. Her background in psychology, behavioural neuroscience, and psychopharmacology informs her present research and teaching pursuits. Professor Wood works directly with undergraduate researchers on topics related to student learning and health, including the use of study drugs and psychedelics as cognitive enhancers. She engages with her students as research partners, encouraging them to take leadership roles on their projects and see the research process through from its beginning to its end. She has received several small grants in support of her research pursuits from the University of Toronto Faculty of Arts and Science, as well as the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. She has disseminated the findings of her work through a number of conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.

Professor Wood teaches courses ranging in size from small labs and seminars to large lecture courses. She is committed to engaging her students in authentic learning, tailoring each experience to meet the needs of the specific class. She has organized in-class events, such as hosting high-profile, local guest speakers in her classes to discuss drug policy and addiction; or borrowing human brain specimens to show students a real-life example of what they typically only see in their textbooks. Professor Wood has also taken her students outside of the classroom to explore career options in the sciences that do not align with the traditional academic path. Professor Wood had a circuitous career path, herself, and is particularly interested in engaging her students in practicing skills that will help them in their future – whether that be postgraduate studies or the workforce.