People

Director and Principal Investigator

Claudia Haase is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Social Policy in the School of Education and Social Policy and (by courtesy) of Psychology. She is also a faculty member at the Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience program, a faculty associate at the Institute of Policy Research, and a faculty affiliate at the Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences and the Buffett Institute for Global Studies at Northwestern University. | Claudia’s CVFaculty WebsiteGoogle Scholar

 


Postdoctoral Scholars

Ivanka Ristanovic is a T32 postdoctoral fellow in the Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences. Her research focuses on stress related processes and negative affect reactivity in the context of psychosis pathogenesis. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Northwestern University (Weinberg) and completed a psychology residency at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. In her free time, Ivanka enjoys spending time with her senior, one-eyed dog, enjoying the lakefront, and exploring new restaurants with friends. | Ivanka’s Google Scholar, LinkedIn

 


Graduate Students

Chen-Wei “Felix” Yu is a fourth-year PhD student in the Human Development and Social Policy program. His research interests revolve around two core human affective phenomena: emotion and motivation. Specifically, he is interested in examining how and why people regulate their behaviors and emotions and others’, as well as whether the “how” and “why” play different roles in the regulatory outcomes. He hopes to develop interventions and inform policies enabling people to capitalize on their emotion and motivation to flourish in multiple critical aspects of their lives, such as long-term goal pursuits, significant relationships, and health. | Felix’s Google ScholarLinkedInWebsite

 

Şebnem Ture is a Ph.D. candidate in the Personality, Development, and Health program at Northwestern University’s Psychology Department. She studies how cultural and historical crises shape identity, emotion, and well-being across the lifespan through stories of lived experience. Her work centers on narrative identity, collective memory, and the ways emotion and storytelling shape meaning-making, with an eye toward connecting personal and collective contexts across different kinds of crises and conflicts. | Sebnem’s Website

 

Beckett Sands is a first-year PhD student in the Human Development and Social Policy program. He is interested in using advance computational methods to learn how concepts, such as positivity resonance and attachment style, can facilitate or discourage healthy relationships. Outside of the lab, you can find Beckett boxing, petting random dogs on the street, or working on his standup comedy.

 


Research Coordinator

Connor Caserio is a post-baccalaureate fellow in the School of Education and Social Policy. Connor’s research interests include the role of low-arousal positive emotions like contentment and gratitude (as opposed to high-arousal positive emotions like joy and excitement) in fostering well-being, the intersection of narrative analysis and emotion research, and addiction recovery as narrative identity transformation. Outside the lab, he enjoys spending time with friends, reading, and watching soccer. | Connor’s LinkedIn

 


Undergraduate Students

Angela Zhong is a senior undergraduate student studying Psychology, Neuroscience, Data Science, HCI, and Design. Her research interests focus on integrating multi-level, multi-method approaches to investigate the dynamic interactions between emotion and cognition, with an emphasis on using computational modeling to identify latent psychological and neurocognitive mechanisms. Outside of research, Angela enjoys snowboarding, photography, and traveling. | Angela’s LinkedIn

 

Quira Kennerly is a third-year undergraduate studying Psychology and Asian Languages and Cultures focused in Korean, with a minor in Global Health. She is interested in cross-cultural psychology; how different cultural norms and values shape interpersonal relationships amongst different populations and different aspects of multicultural individuals and their overall emotional and social development. Outside of the lab, Quira enjoys reading and crocheting in her free time.

 

Allison Kim is a third-year undergraduate student studying Psychology and Journalism. She is interested in narrative research within both relationship science and personality, specifically examining how these areas influence well-being and conflict resolution outcomes in individuals and couples. Outside of the lab, Allison enjoys exploring different Chicago neighborhoods, reading, and watching movies at cool independent theaters.

 

Lucia Noriega is a third-year undergraduate with a major in Learning and Organizational Change and a minor in Business Institutions. Lucia’s research interests include positive emotions in couples and group settings, understanding connection and relationships as key drivers of wellness and development, emotional regulation strategies, emotional intelligence, and the interplay between organizational structures and individual’s development. Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, dancing, running, and drinking coffee. | Lucia’s Linkedin

Recent Alumni

Lillian Fu 

Matías Martínez | Google Scholar

Thita “Palmy Lamsam | Linkedin

Sharon Li | LinkedIn

Lily Hoyt

Sarah Kim

Leah Ryzenman | LinkedIn

Minji Cho

Tabea Meier | Google Scholar

Simon Su | LinkedIn

Veronika Izmaylova | LinkedIn

Katrina Li | LinkedIn

Malena Otero | LinkedIn

Missy Scavongelli

Gary Zhao | LinkedIn