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Biography
Lindsay Coome is a PhD candidate in Psychology at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Western University in 2012 and her master's degree from Dr. Ashley Monks' lab at UTM in 2013. Coome is now working on her PhD in the Biopsychosocial Investigations of Gender laboratory. Research in the BIG Lab focuses on enhancing our understanding of gender expression and related psychological traits through a comprehensive approach. They employ a variety of methodologies such as cross-cultural field studies, lab-based experimental and observational studies, questionnaires and surveys, and neuroimaging. Coome's own research interests span the fields of biological, evolutionary, and cross-cultural psychology. Her thesis investigates the science of sexual orientation, and whether subgroups of gay men (identified by their anal sex roles) differ in the developmental processes that influence their same-sex attraction.
In addition to her interest in studying sexual orientation, Coome also researches the biological origins of gender expression and gender identity using a cross-cultural approach. By studying sao praphet song (i.e., “third” gender individuals who were assigned as male at birth, take on a feminine social role, and are sexually oriented toward men) in Thailand, the aim of her research is to help disentangle sexual orientation from gender identity, thus allowing them to better discern which brain regions and developmental processes are related to sexual orientation and which are related to gender identity. Outside of the lab, Coome is heavily involved in science outreach initiatives, especially those that aim to encourage more women into the STEM pipeline. She is also involved in initiatives that aim to help academics improve their coding skills for use in their research, as well as teaching best practices in scientific computing and promoting open science and reproducible research practices.
Past Talks
Keynote Speaker, "The Mating Game: Animal Courtship and Reproduction"
Let’s Talk Science Challenge
University of Toronto Mississauga