Lab Director
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Dr. Raha Hassan, PhD, CPsych
[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 is also a registered clinical psychologist in Ontario. 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 |
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Brianna Meddaoui
Brianna is a third-year PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology, co-supervised by Dr. Lindsay Bodell. She earned MA/MSc degrees in psychology from Columbia University and Western University. Her research examines how vulnerability factors (e.g., cognitive, affective, physiological) interact with contextual stressors to shape suicide risk across key developmental periods. Other interests include baking, ceramics, musical theatre, and spending time with her loved ones/dogs. Name Pronunciation /Bree-ANN-uh/ /Meh-DA-wee/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
Honours Students
USRI Students
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Curtis Wagter
Curtis is an HBSc student who previously completed a BSc in biology and psychology. Recently, he was awarded an undergraduate summer research internship and joined the SEW lab where he is involved in analyzing archival data, behavioural coding, and recruitment. Concurrently, he volunteers in the Group Experiences Lab, where he collects and processes data for the purpose of examining the role of eye gaze in leadership emergence in groups. Curtis is interested in studying the psychometric relationship between personality development and psychopathology, emphasizing the need for robust validation of self-report surveys. Outside of academia, Curtis enjoys reading, skiing, and going to the gym with friends. Name Pronunciation /Kur-tiss/ /Wag-ter/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
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Connie Lea Tsai
Connie Lea Tsai is a third-year student at Western University pursuing an Honours Specialization in Psychology. Her academic and research interests focus on cognitive development, children’s social-emotional wellbeing, and clinical psychology, with a particular emphasis on ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Her long-term career goal is to become a clinical or counselling psychologist, with aspirations of one day running her own private practice to help individuals navigate everyday life challenges with compassion and evidence-based care. At Western, she is also involved in several clubs, including the Schizophrenia Club, the Taiwanese Association, and CAISA Fashion Show. Beyond school, she enjoys thrifting, baking, and playing the guitar. Name Pronunciation /KAW-nee/ /LEE-uh/ /Ts-eye/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
Lab Coordinator
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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 and coordinator for the lab. Serena is involved in behavioural coding, recruitment, and managing ongoing research projects with Dr. Hassan. 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 studying how early interpersonal relationships affect children's psychological development and wellbeing. In her free time, Serena enjoys listening to music, playing the piano, exercising, and spending time with her family and friends. Name Pronunciation /Seh-rre-nah/ (Rolled r, short e) /And-er-son/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
Research Assistants
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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
Alaya Bhimani, Former Honours Student
Hilary Guo, Former Honours Student
Maria Zangari, Former USRI Student, MA Sociology at Western University
Hilary Guo, Former Honours Student
Maria Zangari, Former USRI Student, MA Sociology at Western University
