Graduate Students

M.S. Psychology (2018) Villanova University, B.A. Psychology (2014) University of Rochester

Advisor: Dr. Omri Gillath

Research Interests: My research focuses on close relationships and the underlying mechanisms of attraction, sexual behaviors, and short- vs. long-term commitment. In past work, I have investigated the psychological aspects of individuals’ sexual mating systems (e.g., interest in short- vs long-term mating strategies) and women’s sexual motivations and goals for hooking up. My Master’s Thesis explored the effect of sexual music lyrics’ influence on desired relationship length. I am currently collaborating on a research project to create and validate a measure for pornography consumption.

Ting Ai

ting940319@ku.edu

Research Lab: Gillath Lab

Advisor: Dr. Omri Gillath

Research Interests: I am broadly interested in the close relationship and attachment theory. Specifically, I'm interested in the function of the attachment system and the underlying mechanism. I am currently studying whether priming attachment security could buffer stress and how it works using different physiological measures. I am further interested in the cultural difference in the close relationships. I am working on a project that explores the cultural difference in the experience of "envy your friend" between America and China.

Darlingtina Atakere

M.S. (2014) Arkansas Tech University, B.Sc. (2008) University of Nigeria Nsukka, D.Swk. (2003) University of Nigeria Nsukka

datakere@ku.edu

Research Lab: Culture and Psychology Research Group (CPRG) and Health Outcomes and Education Laboratory
Advisors: Dr. Tamara Baker and Dr. Glenn Adams
Research Interests: My research utilizes interdisciplinary methods to examine social determinants of health and health outcomes among older adults.

Thomas Ball

t.ball@ku.edu

Research Labs: Branscombe Lab & Molina Lab

Advisor: Dr. Nyla Branscombe

Research Interests: My research interests center around intergroup relations and stigmatized group identities. Some specific questions of interest include: How do members of stigmatized groups cope with perceived disadvantage due to their devalued status? How do asymmetric power relations complicate intergroup relation exchanges, and how can we promote more positive interactions across group boundaries? I also explore opportunities for community-engaged scholarship by collaborating with the Center for Public Partnerships & Research at KU.

Natasha Bharj

n527b291@ku.edu

Research Lab: Culture and Psychology Research Group (CPRG), Muehlenhard Lab

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Glenn Adams

Research Interests: I am primarily interested in socio-cultural constructions of gendered and sexual violence, particularly within the context of colonialism and narratives of development. I also conduct research on representations of history and national identity, and am interested in the scholarship of teaching & learning.

Sara Estrada-Villalta

M.A. Social Psychology (2011), University of Northern Iowa, B.A. Psychology (2007) Universidad del Valle de Guatemala

estradasa@ku.edu

Research Lab: Culture and Psychology Research Group lab
Advisor: Dr. Glenn Adams
Research Interests: I am interested in the socio-cultural construction of the self and relationships, and in how those constructions are related to conceptions of interdependence across contexts. I am also interested in the processes of reproduction of social representations of national history and their relationship with attitudes towards public policy, with a particular focus on transitional justice in post-conflict societies.

Parnia Haj-Mohamadi

M.A. (2014) University of North Carolina at Wilmington, B.A. (2012) University of North Carolina at Greensboro

phajmohamadi@ku.edu

Research Lab: Biernat Lab
Advisor: Dr. Monica Biernat
Research Interests: I use an evolutionary perspective to study how close relationships are formed and maintained across time. I have explored two distinct lines of research: (a) how relational and sexual strategies are used to maintain relationships, and (b) how tempting contexts often compromise the fidelity of relationships. My current research focuses on understanding how competing biological and psychological forces influence one’s “in-the-moment” decision to remain faithful when opportunities for infidelity are high.

Nader Hakim

M.A. (2014) University of Kansas, B.S. (2012) University of Michigan

nhakim@ku.edu

Advisor: Dr. Nyla Branscombe

Research Interests: My research uses sociocultural approaches to understanding intergroup relations; my projects have focused on how different social psychological processes--such as identity, collective memory, and group-based emotions--hinder and promote peace and reconciliation.

Kate Helmstetter

B.A. Psychology (2018) Gettysburg College

khelmstetter@ku.edu

Advisor: Dr. Chris Crandall

Research Interests: My research interests broadly include prejudice and stereotyping, and the circumstances that might lead one to either justify or suppress genuine prejudice. I am further interested in how social norms influence the likelihood to express such prejudices, and how one may use their perception of an out-group as a threat to justify or suppress genuine prejudice. I am also interested in the specifics of Islamophobic prejudice, and how such prejudice can be reduced.

Timothy Lee

B.S. Psychology (2018) Trinity College

timothy.lee@ku.edu

Advisor: Dr. Ludwin Molina

Research Interests: In general, I am interested in how members of historically advantaged groups maintain and respond to threats to their higher status positions. Some of the questions that my current research seeks to address are: What are the psychological processes that account for why much of mainstream America tends to view Asian Americans through a different lens than other racial minority groups? What are the psychological and social consequences of Asian Americans being viewed relatively favorably for other minority groups (e.g., Black and Latino Americans)?

Jason Miller

jmm045@ku.edu

Advisor: Dr. Chris Crandall

Research Interests: My research interest broadly encompasses aspects of political and religious psychology. More specifically I am interested in why people intuitively prefer the status quo and incumbents in political elections. I am also interested how the use of people conceptually understand metaphors, and how certain metaphors impact peoples understanding of difficult concepts.

Charlotte Moser

B.S. in Psychology (2017) Iowa State University , B.S. in Sociology (2017) Iowa State University

cemoser@ku.edu

Research Lab: Branscombe Lab

Advisor: Dr. Nyla Branscombe

Research Interests: Broadly, my research interests include gender, collective action, and intergroup solidarity. More specifically, I study the different ways that members of advantaged groups may become motivated to advocate for disadvantaged groups. I am also interested in how disadvantaged group members interpret allyship with advantaged groups, as well as the impact that allyship may have on members of disadvantaged groups

Ariel Jasmine Mosley

M.A. Psychology (2016) University of Kansas, B.A. Psychology, Philosophy Minor (2014) California State University Sacramento

a382m594@ku.edu

Research Lab: Biernat Lab, Branscombe Lab, Culture and Psychology Research Group Lab
Advisor: Dr. Monica Biernat
Research interests: My research broadly examines issues of social power and group inequality as it relates to intergroup relations, processes of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Specifically, my work has examined how individuals manage threats associated exposure to discrimination and intergroup inequality. My work also examines motivational and cognitive processes associated with increasing racial diversity, perceptions of cultural appropriation, and stigma internalization. My overall goal is to reduce expressions of discrimination in intergroup contexts, and promote resiliency among socially disadvantaged groups.

Pegah Naemi

pnaemi@ku.edu

Advisor: Dr. Glenn Adams

Research Interests: My research interests broadly focus on intergroup relations, national identity, and attitudes toward immigration policy. I am particularly interested in how different conceptions of national identity move people to support immigration policies, and how different collective memories and representations of history impact national identity. Generally, I want to explore how systems of privilege aid in intergroup conflict and impact those at the margins of society.

Navante Peacock

B.A. Psychology (2017) Kansas State University, B.A. Anthropology (2017) Kansas State University

peacock@ku.edu

Research Lab: Biernat Lab

Advisor: Dr. Monica Biernat

Research Interests: My research focuses on how social and cognitive factors influence perceptions of prejudice and discrimination, from the perspective of observers and targets. I am also interested in how stereotypes influence perceptions of one's self, as well as others

Justin Preddie

justin.preddie@ku.edu

Research Lab: Biernat Lab and Molina Lab

Advisor: Dr. Monica Biernat

Research Interests: Broadly, my research focuses on stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination across several domains. I am particularly interested in how the intersection of multiple stigmatized identities (e.g. race, gender and sexual orientation) influence impression formation and person perception processes. I am also interested in the relationship between constructions of national identity and support for restrictive immigration policy.

Trevor Swanson

B.S. (2014) Texas Christian University

t092s958@ku.edu

Research Lab: The Lemma Lab
Advisor: Dr. Mark Landau
Research Interests: My research is currently focused on understanding human motivation through the lens of existential psychology, with a particular interest in how concerns about mortality influence self-regulation. Alongside this work, I am studying the role of conceptual metaphors within language, with an emphasis on how metaphors provide content and structure to our understanding of abstract concepts and thus influence how we perceive the world. Additionally, I am interested in how different strategies of evaluative organization within the self-concept can serve as temporary adaptive solutions to situations of high stress and limited mental resources.

Barbara Toizer

B.A. Psychology (2016) Oberlin College

btoizer@ku.edu

Research Interests: My research interests include intergroup relations and social identity, especially topics related to inequality, power, and oppression. I am curious about the ways in which identifying with a given group membership can impact an individual's attitudes and behavior. I am additionally interested in studying intergroup relations in the real-world contexts of the criminal justice system, intergroup conflict, and collective action.

Cory Washington

cdwashington@ku.edu

Research Lab: Lemma Lab

Advisor: Dr. Mark Landau

Research Interests: I study how and why people take interest in a goal and persist in the face of difficulty. I'm especially interested in how identity and culture play a role in developing personal relevance for a topic. These ideas can lead to intervention methods to help, for example, first-generations college students get interested in STEM careers; motivating a sub-population of people to get health screenings; helping individuals (with low perceive competence in STEM) be successful in the STEM-related goals by motivating them to take advantage of resources available to help them. Additionally, I use conceptual metaphor theory, expectancy-value model, and identity based motivation as conceptual lenses and tools for my work.

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Graduate Students