There are several ways to contact us. You can contact the SSRL General Office, reach out to an SSRL staff member directly, or complete an SSRL Service Request Form.

General Operations and Administration

Jason Disano

Director
(306) 966-7546
 jason.disano@usask.ca

Jason joined the SSRL in 2011 as the unit's first staff member, responsible for implementing the vision and mission of the SSRL, which prior to that time, existed solely as a concept on paper. Since joining the SSRL, Jason has shepherded the unit through a period of continuous growth and maturation, overseeing its evolution and the development of appropriate policies and practices to ensure timely and relevant research supports are available to the university and the community more broadly. As Director, Jason envisions, leverages and supports research and partnership opportunities for the SSRL and works to ensure the long-term success and viability of the unit as a valued resource for social science researchers. He is responsible for the strategic direction of the SSRL and prioritizes efforts and initiatives that seek to ensure the SSRL, and the University of Saskatchewan by extension, is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in planning, supporting and conducting social science research. In his role, Jason regularly works with faculty and senior administrators to identify and leverage opportunities that bridge the academic and research and discovery missions of the university and he regularly engages community partners to identify and explore research of mutual interest. Jason serves as the primary link between the SSRL and its governing bodies and he is responsible for supervising SSRL staff. Prior to joining the SSRL, Jason held a number of increasingly senior positions in both the public and private sectors. Jason presently holds an MA from the University of Saskatchewan and a BSc (Hons) from Lake Superior State University.

Gloria Silbernagel

Finance and Administrative Assistant
(306) 966-8409
 gloria.silbernagel@usask.ca

Gloria joined the SSRL in 2012 as the unit’s Finance and Administrative Assistant. In her present role, she handles all aspects of financial and administrative support to the SSRL. This support includes management of accounts payable and receivable, financial database review and input, preparation of financial reports, assisting with budgets, and the continued maintenance of office policies and procedures. During the early development of the SSRL, Gloria designed and implemented the current financial database tracking all SSRL project statistics and finances necessary to facilitate the unit’s operations. She acts as a liaison between the SSRL and a breadth of units, departments, colleges, and external researchers and stakeholders to ensure seamless administrative and technical operations with the SSRL. She also offers support to a number of SSRL governing committees, internal research units, and members of the SSRL team, and provides frontline service while flexibly adapting to the evolving needs of the unit and supporting the SSRL’s continued growth. Gloria previously worked in the Controller’s Office at the University of Saskatchewan and the Department of Pathology and the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Royal University Hospital. She presently holds an Executive Administrative Assistant diploma (Hons) from the Saskatoon Business College as well as a Business Administration Certificate from the University of Saskatchewan.

Community-Based Observation Laboratory, Mixed Methods Research Laboratory & Video Therapy Analysis Laboratory

Janel Fergusson

Mixed Methods Research Manager and Specialist
(306) 966-1250
 janel.fergusson@usask.ca

Janel joined the SSRL in 2019 as the Mixed Methods Research Manager and Specialist. She manages the day-to-day operations of the Community-Based Observation Laboratory (COL), the newly-launched Mixed Methods Research Laboratory (MMRL), and the Video Therapy Analysis Laboratory (ViTAL). She has 10 years of research experience, including research design; qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis; participant recruitment and coordination; project management; and report writing at the University of British Columbia. Janel works to be a resource for projects involving mixed methodologies. These support services include, but are not limited to, survey design and administration, interview guide design and development, focus group and interview moderation, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and mixed interpretation. Janel graduated from the University of British Columbia with an MA and PhD in Psychology, and completed an Honors BA in Psychology from the University of Regina. She previously worked as a sessional lecturer and research coordinator at the University of British Columbia.

Marla Rogers (On Leave)

Mixed Methods Research Manager and Specialist
(306) 966-1250
 marla.rogers@usask.ca

Marla joined the SSRL in 2016. She manages the day-to-day operations of the Video Therapy Analysis Laboratory (ViTAL), the Community-Based Observation Laboratory (COL), and the newly-launched Mixed Methods Research Laboratory (MMRL). She has 10 years of research experience, including research design; qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis; participant recruitment and coordination; project management; and report writing for community-based organizations and several University of Saskatchewan departments. Marla works to be a resource for projects involving mixed methodologies. These support services include, but are not limited to, survey design and administration, interview guide design and development, focus group and interview moderation, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and mixed interpretation. Marla graduated from the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy with a Master's in Public Administration, and completed an Honors BA in Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan. She previously worked as a Research Study Coordinator at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (College of Medicine), an independent consultant for Alliance Health, and as a Research Assistant at the School of Public Health and the Saskatoon Tribal Council.

Computational Research Laboratory

David Pinelle

Computational Research Manager and Specialist
(306) 966-8113
 david.pinelle@usask.ca

David joined the SSRL in 2019 as the Computational Research Manager and Specialist. He is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the Computational Research Laboratory (CRL). David has extensive research experience in human-computer interaction, computer-supported cooperative work, and usability testing, and has worked at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), McGill University, and the National Research Council. He also has project management, business analysis, and software development experience from working at the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan and at the Health Quality Council of Saskatchewan. David has a BSc in Occupation Therapy from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Saskatchewan.

Experimental Decision Laboratory & EEG Hyperscanning Laboratory

Brianna Groot

Experimental Research Manager and Specialist
(306) 966-6996
 brianna.groot@usask.ca

Brianna joined the SSRL in 2015 with six years of progressive research and management experience in the social sciences. In her current role, Brianna oversees the day-to-day operations of the Experimental Decision Laboratory (EDL) and the EEG Hyperscanning Laboratory (EHL). She has established and maintained the SSRL Research Participant Group to facilitate in-lab data collection, while engaging students in research opportunities. Leveraging her background in psychology, Brianna supports the development and execution of experimental tasks and helps researchers ensure that best-practice research strategies are followed. She additionally provides a breadth of support, including administrative and project management support, programming support, and technical support to ensure the successful execution of experimental projects in the EDL and the EHL. Prior to joining the SSRL, Brianna gained experience in the public and private sectors, and has worked most prominently as a laboratory manager in cognitive psychology. Brianna currently holds a BA (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Waterloo.

Qualitative Research Laboratory

Rachel Tang

Qualitative Research Manager and Specialist
(306) 966-6319
 rachel.tang@usask.ca

Rachel joined the SSRL in 2012 as both a Student Research Interviewer in the Survey and Group Analysis Laboratory (SGAL) and a Transcriptionist for the Qualitative Research Laboratory (QRL). Working simultaneously as an Assistant Survey Research Manager and Qualitative Research Coordinator for the QRL from 2013 to 2014, it became clear that her skills and interests were in stronger alignment with qualitative research methods. After six months of on-the-job project management and learning opportunities vested heavily in the qualitative field, Rachel was promoted to Qualitative Research Manager and Specialist, a position she currently holds where her focus is on providing services such as transcription, interview and focus group administration, analysis and report writing, and software training to researchers on- and off-campus. Wanting to develop her software training capabilities further, in the fall of 2018 Rachel successfully applied for and completed QSR International’s NVivo 11 Certified Expert course and now holds the title of an NVivo Certified Expert. She implements the knowledge and experience she has gained from supporting several hundred unique research projects across various disciplines into every project she encounters. A firm believer in research conducted with integrity, she treats each project as if it were her own. Rachel currently holds a BA (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan.

Survey and Group Analysis Laboratory

Stan Yu

Survey Research Manager and Specialist
(306) 966-6525
stan.yu@usask.ca

Stan joined the SSRL in 2019. As the Survey Research Manager and Specialist, he provides support for Survey and Group Analysis Laboratory (SGAL) activities, including telephone, web, and multi-mode survey administration and analysis. Stan completed his BA and MA at the University of Saskatchewan in Sociology. Prior to joining the SSRL, he held numerous positions at the University of Saskatchewan, including Research Associate at the International Centre for Northern Governance and Development, Sessional Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, and Program Evaluation Specialist at the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning. Stan is well versed in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and has a keen interest in program evaluation and how data informs decision-making.

Jessica McCutcheon (On Leave)

Survey Research Manager and Specialist
(306) 966-6525
 jessica.mccutcheon@usask.ca

Jessica has worked with the SSRL since 2012. Initially she worked with the SSRL Director to develop the SSRL’s Evaluation and Impact Assessment Framework. Since then, she has worked in both the Social Network Laboratory (SNL) and the Survey and Group Analysis Laboratory (SGAL). In her current position, she provides support for the SGAL activities, which include telephone, web, and multi-mode surveys. Jessica completed a BSc at the University of New Brunswick and her MA and PhD at the University of Saskatchewan in Applied Social Psychology. She is knowledgeable about both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and analysis techniques; and has extensive experience with basic research and applied evaluation work.

Social Network Laboratory

Ana-Maria Bogdan

Quantitative Research Manager and Specialist
(306) 966-2965
 ana.bogdan@usask.ca

Ana-Maria joined the SSRL in 2016 as a Quantitative Research Manager and Specialist. In her current position, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the Social Network Laboratory (SNL). Ana-Maria provides research support, technical expertise and advice in the development and design of quantitative research, especially where related to social network analysis. Within the SNL, Ana-Maria supports a variety of projects and training initiatives, including training in R, SPSS and UCINET, programming surveys, and collecting relational data using Voxco Online Survey Software, along with analysis and reporting on a variety of networks (i.e., co-affiliation, kinship, etc.). Ana-Maria completed a MSc in Environmental Resource Management at Vrije University in the Netherlands. She is currently a PhD Candidate in the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research focuses on improved natural resource management, with a focus on agricultural producers’ decision-making and evaluation of agricultural projects.

The Spatial Laboratory

Sarina Gersher

Deputy Spatial Laboratory Manager
(306) 966-5133
 sarina.gersher@usask.ca

Sarina rejoined the SSRL team in 2018 and is currently the GIS Officer of The Spatial Initiative (TSI) and Deputy Spatial Laboratory Manager. She completed a BSc Honours Land Use and Environmental Studies, with a specialization in Physical Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to joining the SSRL team, Sarina worked in GIS positions in both non-profit and consulting services. Sarina’s team is responsible for offering mapping services to support research and interpreting spatial and non-spatial data.

Weiping (Winston) Zeng (On Leave)

GIS Research Manager and Specialist
(306) 966-5133
 winston.zeng@usask.ca

Winston joined The Spatial Laboratory (TSL) in 2011, bringing over 15 years of research and management experience in geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing (RS), and global positioning systems (GPS). In his present roles of coordinator and consultant, Winston supports research involving GIS, RS, GPS, spatial analysis, geographic data, and related programs and projects. Winston is a resource in the development of GIS courses and technical training, he facilitates the incorporation of GIS research into academic coursework, and provides meaningful work experience for graduate students in related fields. Winston and his team have successfully completed over 200 GIS research projects since 2011. Winston received a PhD in Spatial Analysis and GIS from the University of Alberta in 2007.