Lab Director

Grace Iarocci, Ph.D., R. Psych.
Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lab, Director
Department of Psychology, Professor
Simon Fraser University

Dr. Grace Iarocci is the Director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lab (ADDL) and a Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser University. She was also a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar and a faculty mentor of the Autism Research Training Program (ART). The ART program was funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), designed to recruit and train outstanding researchers of autism in disciplines such as psychology, genetics, imaging, epidemiology, and neurology. 

Dr. Iarocci is also past president of the Board of Directors of Autism Community Training and works closely with government and community agencies in BC to disseminate research information on ASD and influence policy on ASD and other developmental disabilities. Dr. Iarocci’s research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, and the Human Early Partnership. 

In 2018, Dr. Iarocci received the Professional of the Year award from Autism BC. She also received the SFU Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Dean's Medal of Academic Excellence in 2019. Dr. Iarocci and the ADDL maintain committed to connecting and serving our neurodiverse community through research, community events, free parenting workshops, and exciting community collaborations. On her spare time, Dr. Iarocci enjoys spending time with her family and attending to the development of her own children.

If you are interested in becoming a graduate student in Dr. Iarocci's lab, please go to the Psychology Department website for information or visit the Join the Lab page on our website.