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Associate Dean Research & Graduate Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Victoria, Canada
Dr. Mauricio Garcia-Barrera is a native of Medellin, Colombia. After completing his bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Antioquia, he relocated to Georgia (US), where he obtained his Master’s (2005) and PhD (2008) in Psychology at the University of Georgia. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria (BC, Canada), which he joined in 2008, and Dr. Garcia-Barrera is now the Associate Dean Research and Graduate Studies for the Faculty of Social Sciences. At UVic, he created the CORTEX lab [www.cortex.uvic.ca], a research lab specialized in the study of the neural and behavioural foundations of executive functioning. He also serves as Associate Editor of the APA journal Psychological Assessment and is the past President of the Latin American Association of Neuropsychology (2018-2021). His research focuses on the study of executive functioning, our ability to problem-solve, make decisions, and organize cognitive processes towards achieving a goal. Dr. Garcia-Barrera has a particular interest in mild Traumatic Brain Injury and the intersections between brain injury, mental health, and addictions.
In 2022, Dr. Garcia-Barrera was named among the Top 10 most influential Hispanic Canadians, in an award ceremony hosted by TLN Media Group, the ILAC Education Group, and Copa Airlines, and supported by Global Affairs Canada.