People

Jordan Axt is an Associate Professor of Psychology at McGill as well as Head of Data and Methodology for Project Implicit. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Duke University, his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Duke’s Center for Advanced Hindsight. In his spare time, he enjoys updating lists of Montreal restaurants, thinking about Duke basketball, and doing a little bit of yoga.

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Ian Hohm is a postdoctoral researcher who earned his BA in Psychology and Philosophy from Hamilton College before completing his PhD at the University of British Columbia. His work explores how social attitudes change over time, with a particular focus on broad societal shifts in moral values and intergroup prejudice. By combining big data approaches (e.g., time series analyses, geospatial analyses) with traditional methods (e.g., longitudinal studies, experiments), he seeks to document societal changes in social attitudes and better understand the forces driving them. In his spare time, he enjoys bouldering, watching horror movies, and playing chess.

Jeffrey To is a fifth-year PhD student who received his Bachelors of Science in Psychology in 2021 from the University of Toronto. After graduating, he spent a year working as an associate in a behavioral science consulting firm, consulting on projects related to education, smoking cessation, and mental health. Broadly, he's interested in biased perceptions across multiple group categories, the consequences of these perceptions for stigmatized groups (e.g., in hiring or leadership), and how we can leverage behavioral science to correct these biases individually and systemically. Beyond academia, he enjoys reading literary texts, working out, and going on long walks. Click here for Jeffrey’s personal website.

Valentina Palacio Posada is a fourth-year PhD student who received her BSc in Psychology and Sociology in 2022 at the University of Toronto. She’s broadly interested in how people think about and perceive others (especially within the domains of gender, social class, and race), bias within these processes, and intersectionality in research. Outside of the lab, she likes watching movies, bouldering, cycling, and hiking. Click here for Valentina’s personal website.

Imane Farah is a second-year experimental psychology PhD student who received her BSc in Psychology in 2025 at Carleton University. Broadly, she’s interested in how social group identity affects judgement and belief formation, influences conformity to group norms, and contributes to out-group prejudice and biases—as well as strategies to reduce these effects. Outside of research, she enjoys reading, watching TV shows, writing, drawing, and sometimes making bagels.

Natasha De Cotiis is a third-year Honours Psychology student minoring in Sociology. She is broadly interested in the psychological roots of intergroup relations. Specifically, how people’s identities and environments shape their implicit and explicit attitudes, and whether these attitudes predict behaviours throughout societal change. In her free time, she enjoys reading a good book, discovering new cafés and restaurants, and taking her dog for long walks.

Anushka Kishor is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Psychology and Education. She is broadly interested in child psychology, particularly in how educational environments and experiences shape children’s upbringing. She is also interested in the intersection of psychology and health policy, and how policy decisions can influence well-being and development. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, and watching movies.

Áine McCarthy is a fourth-year McGill student majoring in Psychology with minors in Behavioural Science and Sociology. She is interested in understanding the mental health challenges faced by marginalized communities, the ways discrimination contributes to mental health disparities, and how these communities can be better supported. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and going to concerts.

Alana Maria Medina is a second-year Psychology Honours student with a minor in Sociology. Her research interests center on understanding the psychological processes underlying intergroup bias and how it is reflected in individuals’ beliefs and behaviours. She is especially interested in the consequences of prejudice and discrimination for individuals and society, as well as approaches to reducing these biases. Outside of her academic pursuits, Alana enjoys running, travelling, and coordinating activities for children and youth.

Camille Paradis is a third-year McGill undergraduate student, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Behavioural Science. She is interested in how political ideologies, systems of inequality, and the process of socialization influence people's attitudes and behaviors toward different groups, particularly concerning gender and sexuality. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music, and painting.

Maya Rollansky is a second-year B.Sc. Psychology Honours student. She is interested in how implicit and explicit personal biases affect one's interactions with other groups on a daily basis, and how it leads to general injustice. In her free time she enjoys cooking, watching Marvel, listening to music, and hanging out with her friends.

Reema Chauhan is a recent graduate from McGill with a Bachelor's in Psychology and Minors in Behavioral Science and Sociology. She is interested in culturally responsive therapy and in understanding how intersectionality and social biases' can shape individuals' well-being and access to care. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, painting, and playing with her cat.

Arwen Feng is a third-year McGill student majoring in Psychology and minoring is Behavioural Neuroscience and Sciences. She hopes her education can develop into a career where she can truly help the people. She is just like Spider-Man, but if Peter Parker never got bit by that spider, and if Peter Parker was actually just Arwen Feng.

Vanessa Hopkins is a fourth-year undergraduate student at McGill University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Anthropology. Her academic interests centre on health and social psychology, particularly how social and environmental factors can influence physical health and overall well-being. She is especially interested in how gender and other social identities can shape individuals' experiences and health outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys figure skating, baking, travelling, and spending time with friends.

Gabriella Issa is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology, and minoring in behavioural science and anthropology. One of her research interests is centered on the reciprocal relationship between social processes and the development of psychopathologies. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, listening to music, and watching movies. 

Kamel Kawar is a U2 student. His main academic interest is the creation of interventions to help alleviate health and educational disparities amongst marginalized communities. In his free time he enjoys playing basketball, painting and spending time outdoors. 

Anne Marie Morrison is a fourth-year undergraduate student at McGill majoring in Psychology and English Literature. Her primary research interests are social and language development in early childhood and the intersection between group behavior and public policy. Outside of the lab, she enjoys biking, reading, and enjoying good music.

Sophia Merendina–Quinn is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with double minors in Behavioural Science and Sociology. This is her second year as a Research Assistant in the Intergroup Cognition Lab. Her research interests lie at the intersection of psychology and sociology, with a particular interest in how social and environmental contexts shape individuals’ perceptions of themselves and their identities. Outside of her academic work, Sophia referees intramural volleyball and enjoys reading murder mysteries from the 1930s.

Aida Idil Okyar is a second-year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in International Development Studies (IDS) and double minoring in Economics and German, with the aim of pursuing an Honours degree in IDS. She eventually hopes to pursue graduate studies in economics, followed by legal studies. Her primary interests lie at the intersection of economics, political science, psychology, and law. In her leisure time, she enjoys exploring art in museums and learning languages. She is fluent in English, French, and Turkish and is currently studying German at McGill University.

Jake Sugar is a third-year undergraduate, majoring in Psychology, with minors in Behavioural Science and Education. He is strongly intrigued by the idea of social influence, and how people's intentions and actions change drastically due to the social environment around them. During his free time, he loves to keep physically active, watch a variety of different films and hangout with my family and friends

Owen Woo is a third-year student at McGill University from the Boston area, majoring in psychology and minoring in history and behavioural science. It is his second year as a research assistant in the McGill Intergroup Cognition Lab. He is interested in social psychology and its influence on human development. He is also fascinated by history and culture and is interested in exploring their intersection with psychology. In his free time, he enjoys music, reading, motor sports, baking and cooking.