SFU Psychology welcomes assistant professor Dr. Sally Xie

Dr. Sally Y. Xie (she/they) has joined the Psychology Department at Simon Fraser University as an Assistant Professor.

Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Princeton University advised by Dr. Molly Crockett, and earned her PhD in Experimental Psychology as a SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Fellow at McGill University, advised by Dr. Eric Hehman. She is fascinated by the flexibility of human thinking, reasoning, and feeling as we experience our dynamic social world. Research methods she uses includes behavioral experiments, longitudinal experience-sampling, “big data” archival analysis, narrative analysis, and computational modeling to study how people form mental models of others and themselves. Driven by the belief that understanding where our ideas come from can help us shape how they’re formed, her work aims to address collective problems and bridge ideological divides.

Outside of the lab, she enjoys interactive narratives, racquet sports, games with (and versus) loved ones, piano, and trail running. This Summer 2025, she will be teaching PSYC 391: Selected Topics in Psychology (Social Cognition: Making Sense of Minds).

Learn more about Dr. Xie below!

What brought you to Simon Fraser University?

It’s long been my goal to lead a lab and teach at a university that values innovation, social impact, and diverse people and perspectives. Emphasis on ‘long’: The path here was slow and rarely steady. I completed an Honours Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto, a Master of Arts at Toronto Metropolitan University, a doctorate at McGill University, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Princeton University. By the time I was applying to faculty positions, I had become an expert in delayed gratification—so I wanted to land somewhere worth the wait.

When I interviewed at SFU, I was excited to find within the Psychology department a vibrant, collaborative environment where people ask ambitious questions and pursue research that benefits society. People here are productive and happy, doing innovative work, and deeply invested in fostering a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect. Some of the faculty even manage to retain a sense of humour. And the students? Sharp, socially engaged, unafraid to challenge ideas, and thoughtful about their field’s trickiest debates. All these “green flags” signaled to me that SFU would be a promising place to start my lab and mentor the next generation of psychological scientists.

Beyond work, Burnaby Mountain offers spectacular views (or misty, meditative calm)—plus quick access to outdoor adventures. So, what brought me to SFU was joint optimization over multiple values: the dream of starting a lab, a dynamic and inclusive community, enthusiastic students, and nature just outside my door. I feel lucky to be here.

How did your research interests in social psychology get started?

I moved around a lot as a kid and lived in diverse neighbourhoods, which sparked my early curiosity about how and why people think, feel, and act differently. But it wasn’t until my third year of undergrad, after several years volunteering at a crisis intervention center, that I decided I needed to do research. Many of the people I spoke with at the center were struggling with mental health challenges rooted in societal issues: experiences of prejudice, marginalization, and discrimination, or feelings of disconnection from trying to conform to society’s narrow molds. Others faced difficulties because how they were perceived by others didn’t match their own self-perceptions, straining their social interactions and closest relationships.

Are these challenges rooted in the “individual”?—or in a social environment structured to set people up for conflict? To figure that out, I needed to zoom out beyond individual stories and learn about the broader patterns. Research in social cognition offered new methods for exploring, understanding, and interrogating the diverse ways that societal norms and expectations get in our heads, shaping how we see ourselves and each other—often without our knowledge or consent. My research aimed to understand these dynamics. Where do our ideas about ourselves and others come from? What do they actually reveal? To what extent do these ideas reflect reality? Whose reality? More importantly, how should we become active co-creators of this social reality, instead of just passive participants?

What is the most important issue that your research work addresses? And why/how is it important to you in particular?

The most important issue my research addresses is how people learn and reason about each other to navigate a dynamic, ever-changing social world. Every interaction—whether cooperative, competitive, helpful, or harmful—begins with our perceptions of ourselves and others. My work examines the knowledge structures that we internalize from our social worlds: What messages does society convey about different identities? What assumptions do we absorb without even realizing it? When do these assumptions lead us astray? How do norms and stereotypes covertly shape the way we see ourselves and others? And how do life experiences, social contexts, or transformative situations reshape these perceptions?

This research matters to me because social interactions can be complex. Every conflict, argument, or misunderstanding starts with an idea about who someone is—or isn’t. By understanding how these ideas form and evolve, I hope to shed light on how we can better navigate our social world—coordinating to solve important problems, managing conflict, and negotiating the relationship between self and society.

What are you most looking forward to in working at SFU and also in the Department of Psychology?

I’m thrilled to build my lab, collaborate with the talented faculty and students at SFU, and engage in interdisciplinary conversations that push the boundaries of knowledge. I most look forward to mentoring students in their research and professional development, creating opportunities for them to innovate and become leaders in their field.

I’m currently looking to hire a lab manager and recruit undergraduate research assistants seeking to get involved in research. If you’re interested in the psychology of how we make (sense of) minds, visit the website for the Social-Cognitive Science Lab for more information: https://socosci.com/

Do you have any advice to students who may want to consider graduate school or a career in Psychology?

Follow your curiosity, examine a problem from different angles, and search inward for questions that truly excite you. Psychology is a broad field, so taking the time to explore different subfields and methods will help you discover your passion. When applying to graduate school, focus on finding mentors whose work aligns with your interests and who will support your growth as a scholar. Finally, stay open to interdisciplinary approaches, which are often at the intersection of fields where the most exciting insights emerge.

That said, if you’re intrigued by psychology but not sure if a PhD is right for you (it often involves a commitment of at least 4-6 years), then my advice is to begin by:
- reading one of the many “Is graduate school right for you?” blog posts (some of which I’ve linked below)
- meeting and talking to current graduate students and professors
- getting research experience in at least two different labs
- doing a thesis on a research question or topic that you’re interested in
- writing down a list of ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ about graduate school—if you find this exercise difficult, you may need to gather more information by doing one of the steps above.

Here is a list of resources I’ve gathered over the years, which you might find useful: https://socosci.com/docs/guides/for-undergrads-prospective-grad-students/
If you’re thinking about whether you should apply to graduate school, or have decided to—and want to maximize your chances of successfully applying—check out the links in that resource list.

Even if you decide down the road that graduate school isn’t right for you, then you can always pivot, having gained valuable skills in critically evaluating others’ claims, managing projects, analyzing and interpreting data, and communicating research findings to others.