Graduate Students
Vivian Hongyuan Qi (She/Her)
Vivian is a 3rd 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 youth. Her research has examined the benefits of cross-racial versus same-racial friendships in children, and understanding barriers to help-seeking for mental health difficulties in Asian Canadian/Asian American adolescents. Her PhD dissertation involves understanding and testing the internal and contextual factors that facilitate cross-racial friendships in UBC undergraduate students. Vivian enjoys getting bubble tea with her family.
Caroline Miller (She/Her)
Caroline is a 3rd 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 in children and adolescents, as well as depictions of ADHD on social media platforms such as TikTok. 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 (Vasia) Karasavva (She/Her)
Vasia is a 2nd year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. Her research interests are focused on digital social interactions and relationships, especially the dark side of these interactions, among adolescents and emerging adults. Vasia’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 2nd 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 socialization on the peer relationships of cisgender boys and young men. For his MA thesis, he is comparing the quality and stability of friendships between boy-boy, girl-girl, and mixed-gender friendship dyads of children with ADHD. He is originally from Venezuela. Academics aside, he enjoys swimming, spending time at the beach, photography, and writing poetry.
Jenevieve (Jen) Hyslop (She/Her)
Jen is a 1st year MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. Her research interests are related to social and emotional influences on mental health, including stigma and barriers to help-seeking, for youth. Jen is especially passionate about researching how mental health interventions can be made more appropriate and accessible for underserved populations such as Indigenous people. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, playing soccer and going to the beach.
Study Coordinator/Lab Manager
Laura Joyce (She/Her)
Laura is a recent graduate from the Honours BA Psychology program at the University of British Columbia. She is currently the coordinator of the Daily Experiences & Culture Study, as well as the Family Perceptions of ADHD Project in collaboration with BC Children’s Hospital. She is interested in the social experiences of neurodiverse children, executive functioning in relation to the mental health of neurodiverse individuals, and broader social development in toddlers. Outside of academics, she enjoys sailing, travelling, and hanging out with her two bunnies, Willow & Peaches.
Research Assistants
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.
Elaine Poon (She/Her)
Elaine is a 3rd-year student in the BA Psychology program with a minor in Special Education at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Originally from Hong Kong, she is actively involved in research, contributing to the ADHD Family Perception Study and the Cross-Racial Friendships Study. Elaine has a strong interest in psychopathology, including mental disorders, brain dysfunctions, and their treatments, and is working toward her goal of becoming a clinical psychologist. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, listening to music, journaling, and watching films.
Daniela Carbonell (She/Her)
Daniela is a 4th year student in the BA Psychology program at University of British Columbia Vancouver. She is from Tampico, Mexico. This is her third year in the lab, and she is enjoying learning about the influence ADHD has on how children form peer relationships. She is currently pursuing a minor in Special Education on the road to becoming a psychologist. She will be conducting a directed studies in the lab and working on different projects. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, listening to music and sightseeing around Vancouver.
Rebecca Yang (She/Her)
Rebecca is a recent graduate of 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 graduated from the University of British Columbia’s BA Psychology program in 2024. She has worked in a number of psychology 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 and the development and efficacy of coping profiles. She is currently supporting the Daily Experiences and Culture Study. In her free time, you can find her spending time with family and friends, taking care of her cat, reading, and playing guitar.
Jason Izadi (He/Him)
Jason is a 2024 graduate with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. In addition, he has worked at the Infant Studies Centre lab at UBC, where he researched cognition and language development in bilingual infants. He is interested in PTSD, trauma, stress, and ADHD, particularly in the context of helping vulnerable youth. He aspires to continue his graduate studies in Clinical Psychology and contribute to the visibility of less fortunate populations in academic research. In his free time, Jason likes to cook, spend time with his family and friends, and write short stories.
Melissa (Mel) Di Paula Brega (She/Her)
Mel is a second-year student in the BA Psychology program at the University of British Columbia. She is also considering a minor in Health and Society. Mel is a new Research Assistant through the PSYC 240 program. She is particularly interested in the role family dynamics play in health outcomes, as well as social interaction, community building, and promoting inclusive environments. In her free time, Mel enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and two lovely cats, listening to Brazilian music to dance, taking photos with her camera, and crocheting.
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.
Angela Peng (She/Her)
Angela is a 3rd year student in the Honours Psychology program at UBC. She is currently working on the Perceptions of ADHD project where she conducts interviews with children and their families. She is also helping to facilitate focus group discussions on cross-racial friendships through the lens of mindfulness exercises and psychoeducation. Angela is particularly interested in the role neurodivergence and chronic illness play in youth psychopathology. In her free time, Angela enjoys reading whodunit mystery books and crafting origami.
Sidney Nedelmann (She/Her)
Sidney is a 4th year student in the Honours Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Vancouver. She will be completing her 4th year thesis in the PEARL lab, focusing on comorbidities with ADHD, particularly internalizing symptoms, and their interactions with social functioning. She is passionate about understanding how individual differences shape experiences of anxiety and stress. In her spare time, she loves being outdoors, whether hiking, skiing, or spending time at the beach.