PhD Student:
aidan.smyth [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Aidan Smyth is a doctoral candidate in his final year of the Clinical Psychology program at McGill University, working under the supervision of Dr. Bärbel Knäuper. His research is broadly focused on mindfulness and self-regulation. For his dissertation, Aidan is currently conducting a randomized controlled feasibility trial examining a novel prototype mobile application designed to enhance mindfulness practice. Alongside his research, Aidan is completing his residency at the Allan Memorial Institute, working with patients in both the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program and the Personality Disorders Program.
Education
2021–Present |Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
2018-2020 | Master of Arts in Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario.
2014-2016 | Master of Science in Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario.
Publications
Smyth, A., Juneau, C., Hong, S., Ilagan, M. J., & Knäuper, B. (2024). Facing Obstacles with Equanimity: Trait Equanimity Attenuates the Positive Relations Between Values Obstruction and Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress. Mindfulness, 15(4), 945-957. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-024-02338-1
Smyth, A., Milyavskaya, M., Friese, M. Werner, K. M., Frech, M., Loschelder, D., Anderson, J., Francis, Z., Inzlicht, M., Kolbuszewska, M., & Wang, K. (2023). What constitutes successful goal pursuit? Exploring the relation between subjective and objective measures of goal progress and attainment. Personality Science, 4, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.5964/ps.12017
Smyth, A., & Milyavskaya, M. (2021). Mindfully motivated: Can a brief session of mindfulness meditation enhance motivation towards personal goals? European Journal of Social Psychology, 51(4-5), 758-772. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2770
Smyth, A., Werner, K. M., Milyavskaya, M., Holding, A., & Koestner, R. (2020). Do mindful people set better goals? Investigating the relation between trait mindfulness, self-concordance, and goal progress. Journal of Research in Personality, 104015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2020.104015
Smyth, A., Peetz, J., & Capaldi, A. A. (2020). Ex-appraisal bias: Negative illusions in appraising relationship quality retrospectively. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(5), 1673-1680. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0265407520907150
Smyth, A., Gammage, K., Lamarche, L., & Muir, C. (2020). Examining university men’s psychobiological and behavioral response-recovery profile from a social-evaluative body image threat. American Journal of Men’s Health. 14(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1557988320910831
Werner, K. M., Smyth, A., & Milyavskaya, M. (2019). Do narcissists benefit from materialistic pursuits? Examining the relation between narcissistic tendencies, extrinsic goals, and well-being. Collabra: Psychology, 5(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.253
Funding
2024-2025 | Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funded Canadian Behavioural Interventions & Trials Network Doctoral Studentship - $35,000
2023-2024 | Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funded Canadian Behavioural Interventions & Trials Network Doctoral Studentship - $35,000 (reduced due to concurrent funding)
2021-2024 | SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship - $105,000
2021 | University Medal in Arts Carleton University
2019-2020 | Ontario Graduate Scholarship - $15,000
2019 | David and Rachel Epstein Foundation Scholarship, Carleton University - $1,000
2017 | Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Spirit of Sir Isaac Brock Medal, Brock University
2016 | President’s Surgite Award, Brock University - $1,000
2016 | Graduate Students’ Association Award, Brock University - $500
2015-2016 | SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s Scholarship - $17,500
2015-2016 | Ontario Graduate Scholarship - $15,000 (declined)