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Education

Doctor of Philosophy | 2017 

Department of Psychology | York University

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Master of Arts + Neuroscience Graduate Diploma | 2012

Department of Psychology | York University

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Honours Bachelor of Science | 2008

Department of Psychology | University of Toronto

Recent + Selected Publications

Andersen, J. P., Arpaia, J., Gustafsberg, H., Poplawski, S., &

Di Nota, P. M. (2024). The international performance, resilience and efficiency program protocol for the application of HRV biofeedback in applied law enforcement settings. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 49(3), 483-502.

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Di Nota, P. M., Huhta, J. M., Boychuk, E. C., & Andersen, J. P. (2024). Police lethal force errors and stress physiology during video and live evaluation simulations. Police Practice and Research, 25(1), 90-100.

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Di Nota, P.M., Andersen, J.P., Huhta, J.-M., & Gustafsberg, H. (2021). Evidence-based instruction of police use of force: Practical methods and pedagogical principles. In Arble, E. & Arnetz, B. (Eds.), Interventions, Training, and Technologies for Improved Police Well-Being and Performance (pp. 72-101). IGI Global.​

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Huhta, J.-M., Di Nota, P.M., Hietanen, T. & Ropo, E. (2023). Deriving expert knowledge of situational awareness in policing: A mixed-methods study. The Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. 

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Huhta, J.-M., Di Nota, P.M., Ropo, E., & Surakka, V. (2022). Experience-dependent effects to situational awareness in police officers: An eye tracking study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,19, 1547.​

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Di Nota, P.M. & Huhta, J.-M. (2019). Complex motor learning and police training: Applied, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(1797), 1-20.​​

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Chan, J., Di Nota, P.M., Planche, K., Borthakur, D. & Andersen, J.P. (2022). Associations between police lethal force errors, measures of diurnal and reactive cortisol, and mental health. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 142, 105789.

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Feature Article

​International perspectives on evidence-based police education (2022), a chapter in the requisite textbook for the Police University College of Finland entrance exam

After earning a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from York University in 2017, I began working with Prof. Judith Andersen at the University of Toronto Mississauga. We develop, deliver, and test evidence-based training interventions that promote police wellness and performance by modulating their autonomic responses to stress using biofeedback. 

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I also have active collaborations with the Police University College of Finland, the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) and Law Enforcement Performance Under Pressure (LEAPP) research consortium, investigating topics ranging from police pedagogy in situational awareness to post-traumatic stress injuries in public safety personnel. 

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My current work at the Centre for Data Intelligence and Innovation at the Inspectorate of Policing informs evidence-based decision-making and oversight of Ontario's policing sector.  I am passionate about applying my knowledge, skills and expertise to improving police and public safety in my own community and around the world.

About Me

Professional Experience

Senior Performance Measurement & Reporting Analyst | 2024-current

Inspectorate of Policing, Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General

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Senior Public Safety Research Advisor | 2023-2024

Research + Evaluation Office, Ontario Ministry of Transportation

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Postdoctoral Fellow | 2017-2023

HART Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga

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Postdoctoral Fellow + Research Faculty | 2019-2020

Office of Applied Research + Graduate Studies, Justice Institute of British Columbia

Special Interests + Associations

Board Member, The Haven

A mental health treatment centre that provides occupation-specific support to first responders & uniform personnel 

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Executive Member, LEAPP

An international research consortium that advances knowledge on law enforcement performance under pressure through global cooperation and collaboration

Teaching + Training

Step Training Inc.

iPREP

Mississauga Academy of Medicine, University of Toronto

Subject Matter Expert

External Examiner:

  • Master's thesis in Criminology, University of Malta (2023)

  • Doctoral dissertation in Faculty of Behavioural + Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2022)

​Testimonies + Contributions:

  • Ontario Coroner's Inquest into the Deaths of Sammy Yatim & Robert Morfitt (2024) 

  • Mass Casualty Commission (2022)

  • Toronto Police Service & OHRC Roundtable on Anti-Black Racism (2022) 

© 2025 by Paula Di Nota. Proudly created with Wix.com

  • Google Scholar
  • ResearchGate
  • CIPSRT
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