People

Principal Investigator

Tessa West

Tessa is an Associate Professor at New York University. She has been at NYU since earning her PhD in Social Psychology at University of Connecticut in 2008. Her research focuses on understanding the nature and dynamics of human perception, in particular how we perceive others in cross-race interactions. Tessa's multi-method approach to studying dyadic- and group-level interactions balances real-world validity with the control of experimental settings.

Her CV can be found here

PHD Students

Sydney Phlegar

Sydney Phlegar is a second year doctoral student in the Social Psychology program at NYU. Prior to coming to NYU, she studied psychology and statistics at the University of Michigan. Broadly, Sydney studies how interpersonal interactions go wrong. Specifically, she’s interested in how people perceive others, make decisions, and behave during contexts characterized by uncertainty and social evaluation. Through her work, she hopes to learn more about the cues we use to make sense of ambiguous and uncomfortable social situations. In her free time, Sydney likes watching TV shows and movies, cooking, and traveling. Her CV can be found here.

Kareena del Rosario

I am interested in how emotions shape interpersonal interactions, exploring questions such as how team members work together in high-stress contexts and how emotions, like sadness, can leave an “emotional residue” that influences later social interactions. Recently, I’ve been particularly interested in interpersonal emotions, such as moral outrage and empathy, examining how these socially oriented emotions shape our perceptions and interactions with others. A key aspect of my research involves psychophysiology, capturing how emotions, motivations, and social perceptions get under this skin and shape our dyadic and group interactions.

Lab Managers

Naia DeJesus

Naia DeJesus is currently a senior at NYU majoring in Psychology. Her interests include social psychology and graphic design, hoping to bridge these two areas pursing a career in UX/UI design. Her hobbies include reading, visiting museums, and painting.

Quincey Pyatt

Quincey has been a member of the West Lab since 2020, and received her BA in Psychology from NYU in January 2023. She completed her Honors Thesis in Psychology on how differences in socioeconomic status influence disagreements in group interaction perception. In her free time she likes to play guitar, read, go to concerts, and visit art museums.

Research Assistants

Brooke Hertzberg

Brooke is a rising junior at NYU majoring in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. She hopes to pursue a career in researching the psychology of modern American politics. In her free time, she enjoys hot yoga, reading, and going to concerts.

Kaitlyn Zhu

Kaitlyn is a current junior at NYU in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Psychology, and minoring in Art History and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. After her undergrad, she hopes to pursue to a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, and is interested in cognition and perception and how it relates to social psychology. In her free time, she enjoys painting, cooking, thrift shopping, and exploring new parts of the city.

Samantha Pratt

Samantha is a current sophomore at Barnard College, where she is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Economics. In addition to her work at the lab, she is keen to explore her interests in industrial psychology and behavioral economics. In her free time she enjoys hiking, reading, and skiing.

Ariana Wahab

Ariana Wahab is a junior at NYU majoring in Psychology with a minor in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies. In the future she hope to pursue a career in either Industrial/Organizational Psychology or research in psychology. Her interests include reading, dancing, going to the movies, listening to music, and exploring the city.

Renata Elizalde Carrillo

Renata Elizalde, a junior at NYU, is pursuing a major in Psychology major and a minor in Data Science. In the future, she aims to construct a career in the field of psychology, specifically, within research. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, traveling, reading, and going to musicals in Broadway.

Ashley Lopez

Ashley Lopez is in her fifth year of an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s track in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at NYU. She hopes to pursue a career in this field or Human Resources. She also aims to contribute to I/O research to highlight the complexities of the workplace. In her free time, she enjoys practicing her cooking skills, writing, reading, and watching movies.

Past Lab Members

Oana Dumitru

Oana graduated from NYU with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Math and Computer Science, and is now a fourth year student in the Social Psychology Ph.D. program at NYU. She is broadly interested in how interpersonal interactions are influenced by social factors, such as social status and group identity. Her current line of research aims to explore how newcomers become integrated into groups and under what circumstances they can influence group decision-making. She is further interested in what factors determine how much variability individuals show in their perceptions of others' rank in the social hierarchy. Her CV can be found here.

Ashley Berkebile-Weinberg

Ashley Berkebile-Weinberg is a graduate student at NYU. She is interested in studying intergroup interactions and relations. Specifically, her work focuses on interracial and intergroup friendships and group-salient discussions, along with relevant perceptual, categorical, and group processes. Ashley aims to apply her work to address social issues, and is involved with the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues and the Consortium of Social Science Associations which aim to connect research with public policy. Outside of the lab, she enjoys dance, interior decorating, as well as finding fun and artistic community events to explore. Her CV can be found here.

Aerielle Allen

Aerielle (Elle) Allen is a Provost Postdoctoral fellow at NYU. She completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA, received her Masters at California State University, Northridge and earned her PhD from the University of Connecticut. Broadly, her research focuses on how both societally advantaged (e.g., Whites, cis-gender males) and disadvantaged (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, sexual minorities) group members perceive, cope, and respond to information about inequality and the downstream consequences for social justice action and public health outcomes. In her free time, she likes to play with her fur babies, hike, and binge watch horror movies. For more information about Aerielle and her research see her personal webpage.

Christa Bailey

Christa Bailey recently graduated from Barnard College with her BA in Psychology and Urban Studies. She is currently applying to doctorate programs in Clinical Psychology, and she is passionate about supporting mental health in children & adolescents, new parents, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Christa's research interests include the postpartum mother-infant dyad and stress in dyadic & group interactions. In her free time, Christa loves to bake and explore new restaurants.

Abigail Rivera-Crouch

Abigail received a BA in Psychology from NYU in May 2023, where she discovered her interest in social psychology as a research assistant at the Social Perception and Motivation lab. She is particularly interested in group dynamics and perception, and is working in social psychology labs while she applies to phd programs. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading nonfiction and trying new restaurants in the city.

Eshita Kalidindi

Eshita Kalidindi is a senior pursuing a major in Psychology, and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She is interested in pursuing a career in education and hopes to execute educational programs for schools that prioritize the enhancement of psychological well-being among students. Outside the lab, she enjoys playing badminton and exploring new restaurants in the city.

Sophia Motai

Sophia Motai is a senior double majoring in Music Performance and Psychology. Some of her career interests include psychology, social work, or combining these fields with music. Her research interests lie in how social and interpersonal processes interact with emotional, mental, and relational well-being. Outside of the lab, she likes to explore new restaurants and places.

Yuna Lee

Yuna Lee is a current junior studying psychology on the pre-med track at NYU CAS. She is interested in pursuing a career in psychiatry or becoming a veterinarian. Some of her hobbies include spending time with her cats, reading, and listening to podcasts.

Emily Marrinan

Emily is a senior at Colby College double majoring in Psychology and History. She is interested in combining her interests in developmental psychology and social psychology. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, swimming, and cooking!

Bella (Qing) Dong

Bella Dong, a senior at NYU, is currently working towards a Psychology major and pursuing minors in Economics and Business Studies. She's looking forward to building a career in the field of psychology. She's involved in other theoretical research projects in social psychology, specifically, the Construal Level Theory (Trope Lab) and minority salience. She's involved in research in the marketing department at Stern as well. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going to musicals in Broadway, and skiing.

Alivia Lu

Alivia Lu (Qianhui) is a senior double majoring in Math and Finance. She is interested in diversity initiatives and potential impacts, gender equality, interpersonal relations and negotiation. Outside the lab, Alivia enjoys tennis, cooking and travel.

Alison Cenname

Alison Cenname graduated magna cum laude from The University of Chicago with a BA in Psychology. At UChicago, she worked as a Research Assistant in the Center for Decision Research, and she previously acted as a Clinical Intern at the Children’s National Medical Center. She is currently a Project Manager in the West lab.

Daniella Kittrell

Daniella Kittrell is a graduating senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She is interested in how social processes affect children's development and outlook. Outside of psychology she enjoys baking, volleyball, dance and playing piano.

Maggie Ding

Maggie received a BA in Psychology from NYU in May 2022. She will continue her study of psychology at UPenn in their Counseling and Mental Health Services program. She is interested in how the development of child or adolescent’s interpersonal relationships can be affected by peer and parents’ social biases. Outside the lab, Maggie enjoys painting, sketching, and dancing.

Nikki Isbell

Nikki received an Interdisciplinary BA from NYU Gallatin in Psychology and Narrative Writing with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She is currently assisting research for the West Interpersonal Perception Lab as well as TA-ing for two professors at NYU Langone Medical School. This Fall she will be applying to Ph.D. programs where she plans to study clinical psychology with an emphasis on well-being, positive psychology, and resilience. In her free time, Nikki loves to read, cook (ridiculously healthy AND delicious meals), run, bike ride, and adventure outdoors.

Taylor Hvidsten

Taylor is a senior at NYU majoring in politics with a minor in psychology. She is interested in the field of political psychology, and will begin a PhD program in Political Science in Fall 2022. She is broadly interested in how group membership and interactions affect political preferences and behaviors. Outside of academics, Taylor is passionate about film and baking.

Tianyi Jin

Tianyi is a junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies, Computer Science, and Math. She is in the accelerated BA/MA program in General Psychology. Tianyi is broadly interested in research involving motivation, visual perception, cognitive biases, and interpersonal relationships. Outside of the lab, she enjoys baking and playing tennis. 

Yara Kyrychenko

Yara is a rising senior majoring in math and psychology. She enjoys using the tools of data science to investigate questions in social and political psychology. Yara also researches the interactions of people and technology during crises and is interested in the ethics of big data in research. In her free time, she likes playing board games, cooking with her family and caring for a main coon kitten together with her boyfriend.

Diego Reinero

Diego Reinero is a Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton University. He is also a Synergy Scholar with the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding at UNC Chapel Hill. His interdisciplinary research investigates how people's moral and political views change through conversations and social networks, and why such changes can be so difficult. He employs a wide range of methods including group-based behavioral experiments and big data analytics. Diego holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from New York University and a B.S. in both psychology and business from Skidmore College. You can find him on Twitter @diegoareinero.

Casey Stern

Casey received a BA in Psychology with a minor in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies in May 2021. She is now a clinical research coordinator for Massachusetts General Hospital’s eating disorders program. Casey intends to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and work with children and adolescents, focusing in particular on eating disorder psychopathology. Outside of work, she enjoys baking and writing.

Jenna Tracy

Jenna graduated from NYU in 2021 with a degree in psychology and a minor in politics. She joined the lab as a research assistant in 2019 and completed her honors thesis with the lab in 2021. During her time at NYU she was also a research assistant in the Diversity and Social Processes (DaSP) Lab with Dr. Maureen Craig. Jenna is now a research data coordinator at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

J.W. Chin

J.W. is a junior Psychology major in NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences. They are interested in studying perceptions of queer individuals and the neural mechanisms associated with these perceptions as well as interactions between queer and non-queer people. Currently, they plan on either pursuing a Ph.D in either Social or Clinical Psychology or an MSW in order to work as a therapist for people in marginalized communities. While not in the lab, J.W. enjoys inline-skating around NYC and performing with NYU’s step team.

James Lo

James Lo is a Senior in the College of Arts and Science at New York University pursuing a major in psychology and minors in ASL and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies. After graduation, he has committed to UT Arlington to get an MS in I/O Psychology. He is interested in social processes in organizations and how intergroup interactions affect motivation and performance in workplaces. Outside the lab, James enjoys watching basketball and playing the piano.

Kyra Rodriguez

Kyra is a junior at NYU majoring in Psychology and minoring in Business Studies. She is interested in the intersection of psychology and business, wanting to eventually pursue a PhD in either industrial/organizational psychology or organizational behavior. She is broadly interested in interpersonal research and hopes her time in the West Lab will help her to narrow her specific interests. Kyra will be a research intern at Yale SOM this summer under Professor Melissa Ferguson.

Charlotte Chan

Charlotte is a sophomore majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry and Psychology. She is broadly interested in social psychology, multilingualism in children and learning more about how groups can influence decision-making. She wants to go to veterinary school after she graduates. Outside of the lab, she likes film photography, swimming, hiking and exploring the city. She joined the lab in the Fall 2020 semester as a research assistant

Casey Hoffman

Casey Hoffman is a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor is Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She is also in the accelerated BA/MA program in General Psychology. She is interested in research involving how people make judgements and decisions regarding others, especially in regards to stereotyping and prejudice, and how identity influences this. This is her first year as a research assistant in the West Lab.

Patrick Pamatmat

Patrick Pamatmat graduated from NYU with his MA in Psychology in May 2021. At the West Lab, he did his Master's Thesis on the acknowledgement of White privilege in anticipated interracial interactions. Patrick is now a UX Program Manager at Google, where he gets to do a blend of research + building out research programs. He can be contacted at patrickpamatmat@gmail.com.

Kate Thorson

Kate will be an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Barnard College beginning in the fall of 2020. She recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at NYU, where she also earned my PhD in psychology, with a major in social psychology and a minor in quantitative psychology. She received my BA in psychology, with a minor in dance, from Bates College. Broadly, Kate studies fundamental processes in interpersonal interactions. She examine questions regarding interpersonal communication and influence, as well as physiological correlates of these processes, by studying face-to-face social interactions. She captures psychological, behavioral, and physiological processes as they naturally unfold over time, and she develops and employs novel analytic techniques and new methods for physiological and behavioral measurement. Her website can be found here, and her CV can be found here.

Laela Lunt

Laela Lunt is a rising junior at NYU majoring in Psychology with a minor in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She enjoys working with and learning about individuals struggling with mental disorders and illnesses, and aims to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology to ultimately work in therapy with such individuals. She is currently investigating the vast field of Psychology through her work as a research assistant, and looks forward to digging deeper within the subject to discover how she might integrate her passion for equine therapy and clinical work. Outside of lab she enjoys cooking, traveling, and volunteering at a mental hospital.

Angelique Simeone

Angelique is currently a graduate student at Columbia University in the Clinical Psychology master's program where she is a research assistant in The Laboratory for Clinical and Developmental Studies. In this lab, she studies suicidal ideation and behavior using principles of social psychology as well as cognitive psychology. Prior to this work, she spent her senior year at NYU assisting a study of dyadic first-time encounters in the West Lab. Angelique's ultimate goal is to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and to conduct research on childhood anxiety disorders while paying special attention to peer and parental influences.

Tina Sundelin

Tina got her PhD in psychology from Stockholm University in 2015, focusing on how sleep-deprived people are perceived by others. She is interested in the social effects of sleep loss and her current research explores social abilities and dyadic interactions following insufficient sleep. Her postdoc is in collaboration with Tessa West at NYU and John Axelsson at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

Celeste Nsubayi

Celeste graduated from NYU with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry and Religious Studies. She has always wanted to be a doctor, but after watching a number of crime shows, she also developed a passion for behavioral analysis and criminology. Having decided to pursue both of these passions, she got on the pre-health track, with hopes of one day becoming a Criminal Psychiatrist.

Mari Sophia Otsu

Mari graduated from NYU with majors in Art History, Psychology, Global Arts & Literatures, and French and minors in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies and Studio Art. She has studied classical drawing and painting in Grand Central Atelier's core program and held internships at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Harvard. Currently, Mari is a MA candidate at Ralston College and a fine arts writer for the Epoch Times.

Sol Ahn

Sol graduated from NYU with a BA in Applied Psychology from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She is interested in many areas of research including individual productivity within groups, motivation and performance, how music affects emotions, and how bilinguals perceive and express their thoughts and emotions through different languages. In the future, she would like to pursue a career in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

Clara Plutzer

Clara is a junior at NYU double majoring in Psychology and Cinema Studies with a minor in American Sign Language. She is also an RA in Andrei Cimpian’s Cognitive Development Lab working to understand how different gender stereotypes in STEM achievement are seen in kids. Personally, Clara is interested in the impact film and TV has on the manifestation of racial and gender stereotypes across different demographics. A fun fact about Clara is that she serves as the Treasurer for Quidditch at NYU!

Kathryn Lau Chin

Kathryn Chin graduated from NYU with a BA in Psychology and minors in Chemistry and American Sign Language. She is interested in the intersection of psychology and the medical field; specifically, how implicit racial biases affect treatment and patient/physician interactions. Outside the lab, Kathryn enjoys playing the piano and traveling.

Sherry Huang

Sherry Huang recieved her B.B.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Baruch College with a minor in Communications. She is interested in clinical psychology and how the patient-physician relationship can lead to different outcomes. Sherry hopes to apply her experiences at West Lab to improve these interpersonal relationships in the clinical setting. Currently, she is looking to pursue a career in healthcare focused in psychiatry.

JooHyun (Katheryn) Oh

JooHyun (Katheryn) graduated from NYU with a BA in Psychology and a minor Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She has always been interested in studying child mental health and social psychology, especially in regards to pro social behavior and aggression, attitudes and persuasion, and relationships. She also is interested in pursuing a career in law in the future, and thinks that social psychology has intersection by an understanding in human behavior. Outside the lab, Katheryn enjoys playing the piano and cooking.

Nicole Saulle

Nicole is on the Forensic track of the General Psychology Master's program at NYU. She earned her BA in Psychology from Binghamton University along with minors in Biological Anthropology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is interested in how subconscious social biases influence legal cases. She joined the lab in the Spring 2020 semester as a research assistant. Outside of the lab, she enjoys painting and embroidery.

-->

Dory Gurinsky

Dory graduated from NYU with a BA in Psychology. She worked as an RA in the lab since her Sophomore year and transitioned into the lab manager position in the summer of 2018. Dory will be a Master’s student in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program at NYU starting Fall 2020. She will also be the Fraternity and Sorority Life Graduate Assistant in the Office of Student Life at NYU.

Allie Degen

Allie graduated from NYU CAS in 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She joined the West Lab as a research assistant in the summer of 2017 and transitioned into the lab manager position in 2018. During her senior year, she completed her honors thesis in psychology, in which she studied how race and power interact to affect perceptions of behavioral dominance. She is now working as a 5th and 6th grade science teacher through Teach For America in the South Coast region of Massachusetts.

Gaelin Bernstein

Gaelin graduated from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration in Criminology and Data Analytics and a minor in Computer Science in 2018. She joined the West Lab in January 2015 as a Research Assistant, and transitioned into the position of Lab Manager in Fall 2016. Last year she completed her Honors Thesis in Psychology on how gender affects individuals' attitudes towards deviance. She is now working as a technology analyst at the Manhattan District Attorneys office.

Kim Bourne

Kim was the lab manager of the West Lab from 2016-2017 after she graduated from Colby College in 2016 with a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish. After her time at NYU she spent two years working as a lab manager for the Davidson Intergroup Studies Lab at Davidson College, directed by Dr. Jessica Good. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the University of Washington, under the advisement of Dr. Cynthia Levine. Her research interests are broadly centered around the social, behavioral, and health implications of diversity and inequality for both advantaged and disadvantaged groups. You can find out more about Kim's research here.

Chadly Stern

Chadly is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research examines how the motivations of liberals and conservatives influence their perceptions of the social world, and how these perceptions can shape large-scale outcomes. His website is http://www.chadlystern.com/.

Odile Rodrik

Odile is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. She graduated with her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies from New York University in 2016. Following graduation, she worked as a post-baccalaureate lab manager for two years at the Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab at Columbia University. Odile is broadly interested in the relationship between emotion (dys)regulation and maladaptive behavioral outcomes. She uses physiological and behavioral methods to understand emotion regulation success and failure in various populations, including incarcerated individuals with varying levels of psychopathy, and those with lesions on their ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Her twitter handle is @rodrikodile.

Emily Badin

Emily was the lab manager and an Honor's student at the West lab from 2014-2015. She graduated from NYU in 2015 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS). She is currently the CAMS Program Advisor and Grand Rounds Coordinator at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center. In the fall of 2017 she will be pursuing a PsyD at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Studies (GSAPP) at Rutger's University. At GSAPP, she will be working with Dr. Brian Chu, studying assessment and treatment of anxiety and depression disorders in youth, with a special emphasis on the dissemination of evidence-based practice, mechanisms of change, and transdiagnostic approaches to understanding youth disorders.

Danusha Selva Kumar

Danusha Selva Kumar was a Research Assistant at the West lab from 2014 - 2015. At the West lab, she completed an independent research project through the Dean's Undergraduate Research Fund. She graduated from NYU in 2015 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies. Since graduating, Danusha has been a Research Coordinator at CASPIR, an addictions lab at Northwell Health. At CASPIR, she worked on multiple randomized controlled trials on individuals looking to reduce alcohol use, as well as technology-based interventions. In the Fall of 2018, Danusha will begin her PhD in Clinical Psychology program at Fordham University. At Fordham, she will be working with Dr. Haruka Minami, researching novel interventions for smoking cessation particularly among vulnerable and underserved populations.

Sarah Gordon

Sarah Gordon is an assistant professor in the department of Health Law, Policy, and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. She received her doctorate in Health Services Research from the Brown University School of Public Health in the health economics concentration. Her research interests are in healthcare access and quality, policies that impact vulnerable populations, and health insurance. She is the recipient of an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) R36 Dissertation Award, the Brown University Public Health Impact Award, and is a 2019 AcademyHealth/VHA Office of Health Equity Scholar. She holds a Master of Science in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

Lindy Gullet

I'm currently running my family's winery, Vino Noceto. We are located in Amador County in California. I use my degree every day. Not only did my research focus on managing diverse work groups, which I now do every day, but while working in Tessa's lab, I got a lot of experience overseeing and mentoring undergraduate researchers. Plus, knowing about psychology has given me a huge leg up when I'm making marketing choices, and I still use mturk to run surveys and test products! My website is www.noceto.com.