Lab Members

DR. FRANCES CHEN

Dr. Frances Chen is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. Her research combines approaches from health psychology, social psychology, and neuroendocrinology to investigate how our social lives are connected to our mental and physical health. She received her A.B. from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from Stanford University, after which she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Freiburg, Germany. She joined the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia in 2013, where her research has been funded by agencies and organizations including CIHR, SSHRC, and NSERC. Dr. Chen is the recipient of a CIHR New Investigator Award, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award, and a Knox Teaching Excellence Award. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The Globe and Mail, Forbes, Time, NPR, Slate, and The Washington Post.

BITA ZAREIAN

Bita is a clinical psychology graduate student at UBC. She received her Pharm.D degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and her B.A in psychology from UBC. She is interested in investigating the cognitive, social and biological factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of depression. She is specifically interested in the role of reward processing, stress, and sex hormones in the development of anhedonia and other depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults.

CHARLOTTE RODDICK

Charlotte is a health psychology PhD student. She completed a MA in health psychology at UBC, and a bachelor’s degree in honours psychology at Concordia University, Montreal. Her research focuses on the bidirectional relationships between human social behaviour, emotions, and physiology. She is currently conducting research on the influence of social relationships, loneliness, and stress on heart rate variability, blood pressure, and immune function.

JULIA NAKAMURA

Julia is a health psychology graduate student at UBC. She received her B.S. in Psychobiology from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is interested in understanding how prosocial behaviours (e.g., volunteering, informal helping) are associated with health and well-being outcomes, integrating theories and perspectives from health psychology, epidemiology/biostatistics, and translational science.

MARISA NELSON

Marisa is a health psychology graduate student at UBC. She completed her BA in psychology at UBC and is now working on her MA. Her research interests centre around the social determinants of health, with a particular focus on gender and housing.

ZEREVAN BINDAL

Zerevan is a graduate student in the Social/Personality area of the UBC Psychology Department. He received his B.Sc. in Germany and gathered research experience in Germany (University of Kaiserslautern-Landau), Ireland (University of Limerick), Canada (Dalhousie University) and France (Université Clermont-Auvergne) before coming to Vancouver. His primary research interest lies in understanding gendered aspects of health. This includes health behaviour, social-emotional processes, as well as sexual health.

SARAH CHEUNG, LAB MANAGER

Sarah has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Social Work from UBC. She is passionate about improving the health and well-being of marginalized individuals, specifically for persons with disabilities and those with complex health conditions. When Sarah is not working or exploring new coffee shops, she volunteers her time with various non-profit organizations, such as Cure SMA Canada and Disability Alliance BC.

JENNIFER HAMILTON, LAB MANAGER

Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from PUCPR in Brazil and is currently working on a second degree in Psychology at UBC. She’s passionate about exploring the dynamics of relationships, addiction, and health, and is still figuring out where she wants to focus her research. Outside of her studies, Jennifer enjoys reading and writing, which fuels her curiosity and deepens her love for understanding human behaviour.

LINDA WANG

Linda graduated recently from UBC with a BA in psychology and statistics. She is currently working on the HRV Light project, investigating how near-infrared lighting may affect mood, cognitive ability, and heart rate variability.

SOFIE JENSEN

Sofie completed her B.A. in Psychology from UBC in May 2023. Her research interests centre around implementing prevention and intervention programs for anxiety disorders and depression in adolescents, particularly those in marginalized communities and/or with limited access to care. She hopes to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology to help meet the mental health needs of underserved populations.

SHAN-LI BARKOVICH

Shan-Li graduated in Spring 2024 with a BA in psychology and a minor in the multidisciplinary health and society program. In the lab, she has been involved in research on the effect of near-infrared lighting on factors such as cognitive performance and heart rate variability, as well as a scoping review investigating acute stress recovery as indicated by heart rate variability. In the future, she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in public health, with a focus on health initiatives for children and adolescents.

ALISON LEROUX

Alison will graduate with her B.A. in Psychology from the University of British Columbia in November 2024. She is deeply passionate about health psychology, focusing her research on enhancing workplace wellbeing, the therapeutic effects of nature, and the role of social prescribing in empowering communities. Alison is also intrigued by how effective communication can positively impact mental health, particularly within therapeutic settings. She plans to pursue graduate studies in speech pathology to become a registered therapist. Outside the lab, Alison enjoys teaching, running, baking, and reading!

NICOLAS ZHU

Nicolas is an undergraduate student pursuing a BA in Psychology. He is currently researching the effects of hormonal contraceptives on depression as well as the associations between volunteering and wellbeing. Outside of the lab he enjoys playing table tennis, volleyball, and cooking new recipes.

ANGUS BARWICK

Angus is currently an undergraduate psychology student at UBC. He is interested in developmental psychology and working with at-risk children and youth, and hopes to pursue counselling psychology with a focus on these populations in the future. Angus is currently working on the Hormones, Health, and Development study.

PIPER SLONECKER

Piper will complete her BA in Psychology in Spring 2025. In the lab, she has been involved with the Teen Health & Development Study as a study coordinator and KSADS interviewer. She plans to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing video games, baking, and exercising!

SHANI AVRAHAMI SARAF

Shani is one of the lab’s study coordinators and helps organize and run the Teen Health & Development Study. She is pursuing a BA in Psychology and hopes to continue her studies in clinical psychology after graduating. Outside of the lab, she loves reading, crafting, and going for long walks on the beach!

Benjamin Giang

Lydia Xu

Jiayi Li

Marcus Hager

Ishita Ralli

Katherine Hong

Ariya Kosavisutte

Anushka Gulani

Raquel Yang

Samir Midha

Lisa Li

Gabrielle Foo

Erika Delorme

Taarini Mittal

Keertana Sanghvi

Mateo Hernandez

Lynn Zhang

Tessa McDermid

Pururev Rana

Olivia Ng

Megan Macfarlane

Maxine Paredes

Genesis Yau

Alex Niu

Paola Moreno

Alexander Stambuk

Stella Xia