DR. ANDREA VIAL
Lab Director (PI)
PhD, Yale University
My primary goal is to shed light on the psychological factors that promote and maintain gender segregation in social roles, including why individuals pursue gender-stereotypic roles and occupations, the barriers they face when they don't, and how they maintain a sense of well-being and belonging when they occupy non-stereotypic roles.
DR. JULIA SPIELMANN
Postdoctoral Researcher
PhD, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Julia’s research focuses on how psychological processes shape the way people engage in discrimination against members of marginalized groups (e.g., gender minorities), and how these evaluative judgments and perceptions in turn impact social outcomes of members of marginalized groups.
DR. MARTA BENEDA
Postdoctoral Researcher
PhD, University of Cambridge
In her research, Marta seeks to identify the factors that influence the development of gender-related beliefs and expectations that people hold about themselves and others. She is especially interested in the ways in which parents might encourage such beliefs and expectations in young children and the effects this might have on children’s future interests and life choices.
AMNA RAMADHAN
Kawader Research Assistant Fellow
BA, NYU Abu Dhabi
Amna is a full-time Kawader Research Assistant Fellow. Her research interests include gender representation in media as well as the role of gender in professional environments. Before graduating from NYU Abu Dhabi in 2024, she completed an undergraduate thesis (Capstone Project) at SRBL on the role of masculine workplace culture on prosocial work behaviors.
EMMA MIKLASOVA
Undergraduate Capstone Researcher 2024-2025
Incoming PhD student
NYU Abu Dhabi
Emma is a senior at NYU Abu Dhabi majoring in Psychology with minors in Social Research & Public Policy, Art History, and African Studies. Her research interests include the intersection of gender and morality, as well as the role of gender stereotypes in the criminal justice system. She is currently completing an undergraduate thesis (Capstone Project) at SRBL on the relationship between perpetrator gender and perceptions of morality.
JUAN SOTO
Research Assistant
NYU Abu Dhabi
Juan is a senior student at NYU Abu Dhabi, majoring in Psychology and Social Research & Public Policy (SRPP). He is interested in how implicit theories of intelligence shape motivation, self-efficacy, and academic performance, particularly within educational settings. He is also curious about how gender stereotypes influence these self-theories and their broader impact on personal and academic development.
AZKA NOOR
Research Assistant
NYU Abu Dhabi
Azka is a senior at NYU Abu Dhabi majoring in Psychology and minoring in Economics and Creative Writing. She is interested in exploring how gender biases and social roles shape individual experiences and responses to trauma, influencing long-term psychological outcomes. She is also interested in how traumatic stress affects gene expression and the role of family dynamics in recovery.
SUHANA KASSAM
Research Assistant
NYU Abu Dhabi
Suhana is a junior at NYU Abu Dhabi majoring in Psychology with minors in Chinese and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She is interested in the intersection of masculinity contest culture and leadership, particularly how it may influence the type of leaders people choose. She is also curious about the role of culture in shaping masculinity contest workplace norms and its broader implications for leadership dynamics.
YURIM LEE
Research Assistant
NYU (New York)
Yurim is a junior visiting student from NYU New York, majoring in Psychology with minors in Sociology and Business Studies. Her primary research interests lie in examining social issues—particularly human rights and minority groups—through a psychological lens. She aims to apply her knowledge in organizations or consulting firms in the future.
ANASTASIIA-LEI YANG
Volunteer Research Assistant
NYU Abu Dhabi
Anastasiia is a junior at NYU Abu Dhabi, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. Her research interests focus on understanding how gender influences attitudes toward leadership, as well as examining gender differences in how men and women navigate various types of relationships.
Lab Alumni
Jenny Veldman, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychology, Utrecht University)
Colleen Cowgill, PhD (Senior Consultant in Workforce Analytics at Guidehouse)
Morgane Motlik, BA (MSc student, University College London)
Acklinda Liu, BA (M.Ed. student, Harvard University)
Raye Zhu, BS (PhD student, Boston University)
Cece Kim, BA (PhD student, University of Kentucky)
Yves Teng, BA (MSc student, Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Ruoming Sun, BA (PhD student, Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Shaikha Al Nasri, BA
Vid Milakovic, BA
Nejat Musa, BA
Morui Yu, NYU Shanghai student
Doris Zhang, NYU Shanghai student
Jasmine Arriaga, NYU student
Crystal Jemy, NYU Abu Dhabi student
Shaqib Alam, NYU student
Mostafa Elsaid, NYU Abu Dhabi student
Angelica Vazquez, NYU student
Sabrina Bustillo, NYU Abu Dhabi student
Sredha Nair, NYU Abu Dhabi student
Zlata Hlukhouskaya, NYU Abu Dhabi student
Rose Shen, NYU Steinhardt student