Lab Director
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Dr. Raha Hassan, PhD, CPsych (Supervised Practice)
[email protected] Dr. Raha Hassan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Western University and the director of the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEW) lab. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from McMaster University in 2023 under the mentorship of Dr. Louis Schmidt. She completed her predoctoral residency at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. Research in Dr. Hassan’s lab examines the role of temperament in social and emotional wellbeing. Adopting a developmental framework, she is interested in children’s interpretations and interactions with their social world, and how these processes unfold over time. She is also interested in whether these relations depend on contextual factors. Dr. Hassan employs a multimethod approach, with an emphasis on naturalistic observation of behaviour in her research. Name Pronunciation /Rah-hah/ /Ha-ss-ann/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
Graduate Students
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Pascale Lacroix
Pascale is a first year MSc Student in Clinical Psychology. She completed her BSc Honours in Psychology at Mount Allison University in 2024. Her honours thesis examined the role of social feedback and executive function development on norm learning in preschoolers. Pascale is interested in the role of temperament, specifically shyness, in children's social and emotional development. In her free time, she likes to read, paint, crochet, and spend time outdoors. Name Pronunciation /Pas-kahl/ /La-krwah/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
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Raman Sangha
Raman is a first year MSc student in Clinical Psychology. She completed her BSc Honours in Psychology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in 2024. Her honours thesis investigated the associations between facial expressions and physiological responses during social stress. Raman’s research interests include the impact individual differences, such as temperament, have on children's social and emotional development through the stress response. In her leisure time, Raman enjoys reading, working out, and spending quality time with family and friends. Name Pronunciation /Ruh-mun/ /Sung-gah/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
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Sera Gandhi
Sera is an incoming first year MSc student in Clinical Psychology. She completed her BSc Honours in Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto in 2024. For her honours thesis, she investigated how time spent with different social partners shapes mental well-being and developmental outcomes in adolescents. Her research interests center on socio-emotional development in children, with a focus on dyadic interactions and partner effects, particularly among first-generation immigrant children. Outside of school, you’ll find her baking sweet treats, chasing runner’s highs, or getting lost (happily) in secondhand bookstores. Name Pronunciation /Se-rr-ah/ (rolled r), /Gahn-dh-ee/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
Honours Students
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Hilary Guo Hilary is a fifth year dual degree student in Honours Specialization Psychology and Honours Business Administration with Ivey Business School. She is currently completing her undergraduate honours thesis with an interest in behavioural psychology. In her spare time, Hilary enjoys reading, scrapbooking and watching cat videos. Name Pronunciation /Hill-er-ee/ /Gw-ouh/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
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Alaya Bhimani Alaya is a fourth year Honours Psychology student. She is currently completing her undergraduate thesis on the effect of social interactions on self-perception and emotional affect. Alaya’s research interests are in developmental psychology, specifically the effect of adverse childhood experiences on vulnerability to psychopathology. In her spare time, Alaya enjoys baking for her small business, reading, and spending time with friends and family. Name Pronunciation /Ah-lay-ah/ /Bim-ah-nee/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
Research Assistants
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Serena Anderson Serena began at the SEW lab as an undergraduate student research intern (USRI) and has since been working as a research assistant. Her duties include behavioural coding and modifying the lab website. She obtained her BSc Honours in Psychology from Western University in 2024, where she completed her thesis related to the dark tetrad cluster of personality traits and schadenfreude. Serena is interested in human behaviour and how it manifests in social interactions, depending on personality and temperament. In her free time, Serena enjoys listening to music, playing the piano, and exercising. Name Pronunciation /Seh-rre-nah/ (Rolled r, short e) /And-er-son/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
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Zeinab Zammar
Zeinab obtained her BA Honours Specialization in Kinesiology from Western University in 2022. She then pursued her MClSc in Applied Health Sciences at Western University in 2023, where she completed a 7-month placement at the London InterCommunity Health Centre in London, Ontario. Zeinab has considerable leadership experience through diverse extracurricular activities at Western. She also has significant experience working with children in various settings such as a summer camp for newcomer children and an early outreach program at Western. She currently also works at a long-term care facility as a recreation aide with residents with advanced dementia. Zeinab is interested in primary care, social determinants of health, child and senior health, mental health, and health care access. In her spare time, Zeinab enjoys playing team sports like ultimate frisbee, reading, listening to music, and spending quality time with her close friends and family, especially her 4 baby sisters. She's also an avid ice cream lover! Name Pronunciation /Zay-nab/ /Zam-mar/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
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Katelyn Matsumoto
Katelyn is a fourth-year student completing an Honors Specialization in Psychology at Huron University. She is joining the SEW lab as a volunteer undergraduate research assistant. Her thesis will examine interpersonal emotion regulation and the factors that shape its outcomes. Katelyn’s research interests include emotion regulation, self-regulation, and executive function in children. In her free time, Katelyn enjoys trying new restaurants around the city, reading, and exercising. Name Pronunciation /Kayt-luhn/ /Mat-suh-moh-toh/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
Alumni
Maria Zangari, Former USRI Student, MA Sociology at Western University
