Meredith Schertzinger

My name is Dr. Meredith Schertzinger, and I am currently completing my postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Mark Bruner in the Groups for Youth Development (G4YD) lab. In addition to my fellowship, I am a course instructor for PHED 2026 Sport and Exercise Psychology and an assistant coach for the Nipissing women’s soccer team. As a Division 1 soccer player with no access to Sport Psychology during my career, I was passionate about pursuing a post-graduate education on the topic. I completed my master’s in Sport Psychology at the University of Stirling, Scotland. Following my master’s, I stayed in Scotland to complete my PhD at the University of St Andrews. My PhD utilized Self-Determination Theory and The Social Identity Approach to understand individuals’ physical activity behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. My current research interests center around applying the social identity approach to explore how enhanced team identification is associated with players’ well-being and proactively prepare athletes for sports career transitions. In my spare time, I enjoy taking my dog, Freyja, for walks around the lake and hikes in the woods.