Andrea Breen

Dr. Andrea Breen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Relations & Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph and Director of the FIDO Research Lab. Her work focuses on dog-human relationships, narrative methodologies, and family caregiving. She holds a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (University of Toronto), an M.Ed. from Harvard, and a B.Ed. from McGill University. Her research explores multispecies families, decolonial research approaches, and the psychological impact of storytelling.

Education:

• Ph.D., Developmental Psychology and Education, OISE/University of Toronto
• M.Ed., Risk and Prevention, Harvard Graduate School of Education
• B.Ed., McGill University

Research Interests:

• Interdisciplinary methodologies (narrative, anti-colonial, posthumanist)
• Critical approaches to family caregiving
• Canine welfare and interspecies relationships
• Decolonizing research practices
• Young carers' experiences during transitions

Key Projects:

• SSHRC-funded study on Family Care Work in Interspecies Homes (2022–present)
• Young Carers Coming of Age longitudinal study
• Co-editor of Research and Reconciliation: Unsettling Ways of Knowing through Indigenous Relationships (2019)

Labs/Teams: Director of the FIDO Research Lab exploring multispecies family dynamics and well-being intersections.