Samantha Jones

I completed my Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology with a minor in Biology at Queen's University. I then completed my Master of Science in Social Developmental Psychology at Western University, where I used social network analysis to investigate how people discuss their emotions within their social networks. I recently completed my PhD in Social Developmental Psychology at Western, where my dissertation examined the link between social media engagement and mood drawing on both experimental designs and naturalistic observation.

I am a mixed-methods researcher with extensive training in both quantitative and qualitative approaches. I am experienced in linear regression, linear mixed-effects modelling, social network analysis, machine learning techniques such as hierarchical cluster analysis, as well as in thematic and content analysis. I am proficient in R and Python.

I am passionate about knowledge mobilization and communicating my research findings to the public. From 2025 to 2026, I held an Impact Fellowship at Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, where I contributed to a variety of policy initiatives and public-facing resources. I have shared my research on CBC's The National, on radio stations across Canada, and with several international news outlets. In these endeavours, I share my expertise on social media, mood and well-being.

Throughout this work, my goal is to help people understand how social media impacts their mood, and how to use it in healthier, more intentional ways.