Dr. Heather Brown is an associate professor in the Dept. of Education Psychology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. She is also an autistic professional who studies autism. Her research focuses on examining what it means to “thrive” for individuals on the spectrum. She aims to create reasonable expectations around what it means to function adaptively with autism and to highlight all the ways in which people with autism are already thriving. By doing so, her research is poised to empower individuals with autism to be more self-confident in their neurodiversity and to develop a better understanding of the factors that most support their well-being.