Dax Urbszat

Dr. Dax Urbszat began his post-secondary education by attaining a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto with a Specialist in Psychology and a Major in Crime and Deviance. This undergraduate training led to a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School followed by a Master’s and Doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Toronto. Dax’s research interests are in the areas of Personality, Social, Abnormal and Forensic Psychology including research examining jury selection and the challenge for cause in the Canadian court system. Future directions for research include a proposed project to design and implement a musical education program for incarcerated individuals in an effort to determine the effects on certain behavioural measures such as recidivism rates.

Dr. Urbszat is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology and has recently completed a term as the Acting Director for the Forensic Science Program at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, Canada’s first and longest running Forensic Science program. Dax can be found teaching the huge Introduction to Psychology courses as well as courses in Social Psychology, Psychology and Law, and Forensic Psychology. Dax believes strongly in providing an interactive learning environment and is known to make deliberate efforts to facilitate the students’ learning experience. As evidence, Dax has been nominated numerous times to the top 20 in the TVOntario’s Best Lecturer Competition, and has received many awards and commendations for teaching including the student voted Tri-campus Teaching Award of Excellence for the University of Toronto in 2008 and the Award of Excellence for Teaching at the University of Toronto at Mississauga in 2010.

Away from campus Dax has been a longtime practitioner of martial arts including Judo, Kung Fu, Qigong, Muay Thai and other aspects of the martial arts. Also, an accomplished musician, singer, and songwriter, Dax lends his musical talents each year to help support local charities and the University’s undergraduate Psychology club. Dax’s other interests include golf, scuba diving, and lucid dreaming, and most of all his two son’s Dylan and Colton.