Early Researcher of the Year

The overarching goal of Dr. Meredith Rocchi's program of research is to explore the role of effective interpersonal communication in promoting positive outcomes. Her program of research combines perspectives from communication and motivational psychology to examine how effective interpersonal communication can serve to motivate others to change their behaviour. She explores these relationships in two key research streams: in health promotion settings and in the context of collecting, interacting with, and learning about data. Through her innovative research program, she is committed to answering big questions that improve the health and quality of life for Canadians such as How can we increase physical activity participation? or How can we improve our understanding of the data we encounter in our daily lives? Dr. Rocchi is one of the founding researchers of the Arts-Telfer Triple-I Laboratory which is a cutting-edge lab space for studying human interactions funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. She is also the Director and Co-Founder of the uOttawa Data Literacy Research Institute. The Institute brings together interdisciplinary experts to conduct important research and training related to the current and future challenges that arise from insufficient data literacy.