Membership Type: Core Member
Supervisorship Status: General volunteer opportunities (any student level) are available now and am open to supervising undergraduate-only thesis projects starting in September 2026.
If interested, please connect with Dr. Mackenzie Salt.
Bio
Bio
Dr. Mackenzie Salt is a Research Associate at the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University and Autism Alliance of Canada, as well as an Assistant Professor (Part-Time) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences. Dr. Salt completed his PhD in Cognitive Science of Language at McMaster University. He is an alumnus of the CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship postdoctoral program. In his current role, Dr. Salt leads several initiatives including being the editor-in-chief of the all-Autistic editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Autism Equity, leading the Canadian Autistic Adult Needs Assessment project with Autism Alliance of Canada. He has a background in qualitative research and research engagement. He has worked with Autistic people for over 15 years, and he is currently working on several projects, all involving gathering information from and learning from the experiences of Autistic adults and using the findings to promote change.
Current Focus Areas
Current Focus Areas
- Canadian Journal of Autism Equity: This is an open-access community journal that seeks to bring the experiences of Autistics to the attention of academics, researchers, policy-makers, and the general public.
- Autistic Definitions of Adulthood: This is a qualitative project asking Autistic youths/young Autistic adults and older Autistic adults about how do they define adulthood and what the key milestones of adulthood are for them.
Career Highlights
Career Highlights
- Canadian Autistic Adult Needs Assessment Project: A mixed methods multiphase project involving a survey of Autistic adults age 30+ years, and follow-up focus groups, to identify the day-to-day needs of Autistic adults in Canada. https://autismalliance.ca/initiative/adult-needs/
- Examining Criminal Justice with Autistic Adults in Canada: A qualitative project involving a survey and focus groups of Autistic adults about their experiences with and beliefs about the criminal justice system in Canada. https://autismalliance.ca/initiative/justice/
Research areas: