
DR. ANDREA VIAL
Lab Director
PhD, Yale University
My primary interest is understanding the different psychological factors that promote and maintain gender segregation in social roles, including why individuals pursue gender-stereotypic roles, 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
Undergraduate Capstone Researcher 2023-2024
NYU Abu Dhabi
Amna is a senior at NYU Abu Dhabi, majoring in Psychology. Her research interests include gender representation in media as well as the role of gender in workplace environments. She is currently completing an undergraduate thesis (Capstone Project) at SRBL on the role of masculine workplace environments (or masculinity contest workplace cultures) on prosocial work behaviors.

SHAIKHA AL NASRI
Undergraduate Capstone Researcher 2023-2024
NYU Abu Dhabi
Shaikha is a senior at NYU Abu Dhabi double majoring in Psychology and Interactive Media. She is interested in the mechanisms that underlie ethical Human Resources practices, and is in the process of conducting collaborative research into the relationship between perceptions of workplace culture, specifically masculinity contest cultures, and gender-based employment discrimination for her capstone project.

SABRINA GONZALEZ BUSTILLO
Research Assistant
NYU Abu Dhabi
Sabrina is a first year student planning to double major in Psychology and Social Research and Public Policy. Her research interests are focused on gender stereotyping as well as the behavioral explanation behind social conflict caused by the discrimination of marginalized groups; ethnic and disabled minorities more specifically.

DORIS ZHANG
Research Assistant
Visiting Student, NYU Shanghai
Doris is an NYU Shanghai junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Neuroscience. Her research interests are perceived discrimination based on social roles, participation of brain mechanisms in the decision-making process, as well as factors that influence eye identification in forensic psychology. Beyond her research endeavors, Doris is passionate about various societal issues, including social services, equity, education, and sustainable development. Looking ahead, she aspires to pursue an interdisciplinary pathway in psychology and law post-graduation.

SUHANA SHAMSHUDIN KASSAM
Research Assistant
NYU Abu Dhabi
Suhana is a second-year student at NYU Abu Dhabi majoring in Psychology and minoring in Chinese. She is particularly interested in the impact that gender stereotypes have on the daily lives of individuals specifically in workplace and university settings.

Sredha Nair
Research Assistant
NYU Abu Dhabi
Sredha is a sophomore at NYU Abu Dhabi majoring in Social Research and Public Policy and minoring in Psychology. Her research interests lie in Social Psychology with a particular emphasis on the influence of media representations on gender perception.

ZLATA HLUKHOUSKAYA
Research Assistant
NYU Abu Dhabi
Zlata is an NYU Abu Dhabi sophomore majoring in Psychology. She is interested in studying the psychological factors behind gender-based discrimination and the role of the early education system in building a more inclusive society.
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 of Edinburgh)
Acklinda Liu, BA (M.Ed. student, Harvard University)
Raye Zhu, BS (MA student, University of Chicago)
Cece Kim, BA (PhD student, University of Kentucky)
Yves Teng, BA (MSc student, Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Vid Milakovic, BA
Nejat Musa, BA
Ruoming Sun, 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
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