Dr. Lara Aknin

Dr. Lara Aknin is a Distinguished Associate Professor of Psychology at SFU, former Fellow with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and a co-editor of the World Happiness Report. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of British Columbia. Her work focuses on the antecedents and consequences of happiness and prosocial behavior – most of which examines how generous behaviour makes people feel. Her research has been published in various academic journals, including Science, Nature Human Behaviour, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Social Psychological and Personality Science and Perspectives on Psychological Science, and has been covered in international media outlets such as the CBC, CNN, Maclean’s Magazine, Forbes, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Tanya Broesch

Dr. Tanya Broesch is an Associate Professor of Psychology at SFU and the area coordinator for Developmental psychology. She studies social-cognitive development in children living in diverse social contexts, with an emphasis on how the first 7 years of life impact the developing mind. Dr. Broesch is committed to involving communities in the research process, with the goal of having citizen-led research objectives. She is currently involved in several collaborative endeavours, including the Culture & Ontogeny Research Initiative, all with objectives to better understand human social life.

Natasha Hansen

As an undergraduate student at SFU, Natasha volunteered in Dr. Jeremy Carpendale’s Early Social Development Group and participated in a Directed Studies course under his supervision, focusing on the influence siblings have on the development of communication and social understanding. From there, she went on to complete a Psychology Honours program under Dr. Kevin Douglas, examining how attachment security and parental factors are related to psychopathy, within the context of the Triarchic Model of Psychopathy (TriPM), and whether social support moderated these effects. In Fall 2021, Natasha graduated with a BA Honours degree in Psychology and a minor in Counselling and Human Development.

Bonnie Vu

Bonnie Vu is a fifth-year student at SFU, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Human Development and Counseling. In previous semesters, she has enrolled in PSYC 393 – Research Engagement with Dr. Yuthika and PSYC 493 – Directed Studies with Dr. Iarocci to explore her research interests and advance her skills and experience. After completing these courses, she continued to volunteer as a Research Assistant (RA) in Dr. Yuthika’s Relationships and Singlehood lab and Dr. Iarocci’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities lab. She’s also working as an RA in Dr. Carpendale’s lab, which looks closely at child development. Bonnie’s work focuses on infant’s gaze shift, caregiver’s responsiveness and social engagement.