Graduate Students
Sophie Smit (She/Her)
Sophie is a graduating PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. She bears the distinction of being the only grad student in lab who grew up in Canada! She is interested in parent-child interactions and parenting interventions for families of children with ADHD. Her dissertation examined how parenting interventions can be tailored to better support the parents of children with ADHD. In her spare time, she enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons and has even learned how to make her own dice. Currently, Sophie is completing residency at Alberta Children’s Hospital.
Vivian Qi (She/Her)
Vivian is a 2nd year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. She is interested in the role of culture and how it relates to social relationships and adjustment in children, adolescents, and emerging adults. Her MA thesis examined the benefits of cross-racial versus same-racial friendships in children, over the course of a school year. Currently she is working on her comprehensive exams about barriers to help-seeking for mental health difficulties in Asian Canadian/Asian American adolescents. Her PhD dissertation will involve understanding the internal and contextual factors that facilitate cross-racial friendships in UBC students. Vivian enjoys getting bubble tea with her family.
Caroline Miller (She/Her)
Caroline is a 2nd year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. Her research interests include comorbidities with ADHD and patterns of association with social skills. She is also interested in the differential diagnosis of ADHD and ASD and stigma surrounding neurodevelopmental disorders. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas, is a National Weather Service Certified Advanced Storm Spotter, and can quote pretty much all of Mamma Mia! from memory.
Vasileia Karasavva (She/Her)
Vasileia is a 1st year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. Her research interests are focused on digital interactions, especially aggressive digital interactions, like cyber aggression. Vasileia’s masters thesis examined bystander intervention in the context of cyber aggression. She is also passionate about technology-facilitated sexual violence: understanding who is affected by it, why some people choose to engage in it, and most importantly, what are ways we can better support those who have experienced it.
Andrés Montiel (He/Him)
Andrés is a 1st year MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. His research interests center around the influences of traditional gender stereotypes on the socio-emotional adjustment of cisgender boys and young men. He is originally from Venezuela. Academics aside, he enjoys swimming, photography, and writing poetry.
Study Coordinator/Lab Manager
Cheuk Yiu Cheryl Wong (She/Her)
Cheryl is a 2023 graduate of BA Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. In this lab, she coordinates the Family Perceptions in ADHD study and works on the TikTok study. Cheryl is interested in bringing intersectionality into the Psychology literature. This is demonstrated in her directed studies: Whether there are differences in knowledge and perceived self-efficacy in coping strategies, which coping strategies are used, and the desire to die after using the coping strategy across race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status (SES) with the Personality, Emotion, and Behaviour Lab at UBC.
Research Assistants
Natalia Modzelik (She/They)
Natalia completed her BA in Psychology in 2021 with a minor in Special Education at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. Natalia currently works as an RA doing coding for the TeaPot study. In their free time, you can find them hiking, camping and reading.
Orli Hellerstein (She/They)
Orli is a 3rd year undergraduate in the Honours Psychology program at University of British Columbia Vancouver. She works on the Family Perceptions of ADHD study and is excited to begin work on a cross-cultural friendships study soon. Outside of this lab she is working as an honours student in the UBC Sexual Health Research lab, a work learn at BC Children’s Eating Disorders Research lab, and as an RA at the SWELL lab. She aspires to a graduate degree in clinical psychology with a focus on mood disorders, sex-related coping mechanisms and CPTSD, and the impact of neurodivergency and psychopathology on sexual experience. Outside of the lab she is a proud member of the Latin Dance Club and can always be roped into a conversation about Greek and Irish mythology.
Alfred Han (He/Him)
Alfred is a recent graduate of the BA Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. Besides psychology, he also enjoys learning art history which he finds beneficial to his understanding of the human condition. Outside of school, he has a passion for fencing and motoring (held the lap record at a local go kart track for a brief while). He hopes that his cultural background can improve the cultural competency of psychological studies and services.
Laura Joyce (She/Her)
Laura is a 4th year student in the Honours Psychology program at University of British Columbia Vancouver. In this lab, she is serving as the study coordinator for the Daily Experiences and Culture study, and has worked on the Tik Tok study. In her spare time, Laura enjoys skiing, travelling, and spending time with her pet rabbits.
Daniela Carbonell (She/Her)
Daniela is a 3rd year student in the BA Psychology program at University of British Columbia Vancouver. She is from Tampico, Mexico. This is her second year in the lab, and she is enjoying learning about the influence ADHD has on how children form peer relationships. She plans on pursuing a minor in Special Education on the road of getting a PhD in Clinical Psychology. This lab has been a new experience for her but she looks forward to engaging and learning more about the research process. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, reading and going to the beach.
Rebecca Yang (She/Her)
Rebecca is a 5th year student in the BSc Behavioural Neuroscience program at University of British Columbia Vancouver. She is a huge Psychology enthusiast and enjoys learning anything about the human brain, with a particular interest in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology especially ADHD (as someone with a diagnosis). She discovered this lab by hearing it mentioned in a lecture on YouTube from an acclaimed ADHD expert. Outside of the lab, Rebecca enjoys rhythm games, playing/composing music, and doing small art projects. Rebecca is also the President and Founder of the UBC club and non-profit organization, Music for Mental Health.
Simi Di Paula (She/Her)
Simi is a 4th year student in the BA Psychology program at University of British Columbia Vancouver. She has worked in a number of labs at UBC and is hoping to become a practicing clinician. She is interested in exploring holistic and dimensional approaches to mental health and well-being. In her free time, you can find her spending time with friends and family, reading, and listening to music.
Meagan Ng (She/Her)
Meagan is a 4th year student in the Psychology program at the University of British Columbia. She is passionate about the importance of providing support and mental health services for vulnerable populations. In addition to being a part of the lab, she works as a Behavior Interventionist with children with ASD. In her free time, she enjoys going thrifting with her friends, cafe hopping, and taking walks with her camera in hand. She is also the VP of the UBC Photography Club on campus.
Joshua Costa (He/Him)
Joshua is a 4th year student in the Honours Psychology program at University of British Columbia Vancouver. He is beginning his work in this lab on the TikTok study, which he is very excited about. He is extremely passionate about research on Internet culture, digital interactions, relationships, and development. Outside of the lab, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, listening to music, and journaling.
Cristina Ardelean (She/Her)
Cristina completed her BA in Psychology in 2020 with a minor in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies. Cristina is currently working on the cross-racial friendships study. She is interested in understanding how children’s and youth’s emotion regulation strategies can affect their social interaction with their caregivers and peers. Her interest in the role of friendships and relationship-building in early childhood and children’s learning styles inspired her to complete the BC Early Childhood Education Certificate at UBC. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, challenging her knowledge in fun games of Trivia with her friends, going to concerts, and spending time with her family.