Get to Know Us

Dr. Hélène Deacon is a Member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada and a University Research Professor in the Faculty of Science at Dalhousie University, where she directs the Language and Literacy Lab. She completed her doctoral research as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford in 2004 and has secured over $16 million in research funding. She is currently co-Director of a new 2.5-million-dollar Partnership Grant: Ensuring Full Literacy in a Multicultural and Digital World. Dr. Deacon has world-renowned expertise in reading development, with active collaborative research examining how children achieve the reading skills they need to fully participate in society. Deacon’s research is conducted with amazing partner schools and collaborators around the world. In 2022 she was named by Stanford University as one of the top 2% scientists in the world, across all disciplines and ages.

The Language and Literacy Lab is a well-resourced research lab with a diverse and well-rounded team of postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, volunteers, and research staff. Team members work in a friendly and collaborative environment that includes weekly lab meetings and social (sometimes adventurous!) outings. We frequently connects outside of the lab to enjoy events like picnics, food truck festivals, coastal hikes, kayaking, ziplining, and cultural events. The team is supported by a full-time lab manager and is connected, both nationally and internationally, to a wonderful group of collaborators who often come to visit, join in meetings, and give colloquium talks. 

The Language and Literacy Lab is in the Psychology and Neuroscience Department of Dalhousie University which is located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Halifax is a vibrant and historic city on the Atlantic Coast of Canada.