members of the code lab

Ronda Lo, PhD – Principal Investigator

Dr. Ronda Lo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University and a Faculty Affiliate at Stanford SPARQ. She completed her doctoral training at York University in Social-Personality Psychology, under cultural psychologists Richard Lalonde and Joni Sasaki. During this time she also completed a graduate diploma in Quantitative Methods and worked as a biostatistician at SickKids Research Institute. Before arriving at TMU, she completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University, working at Stanford SPARQ with Jennifer Eberhardt, Hazel Markus, and MarYam Hamedani.

Google Scholar | CV

Johanna Lewis – Volunteer RA

Johanna is a fourth-year Psychology student at Toronto Metropolitan University, with minors in Criminology and Child and Youth Care. Her academic interests focus on understanding criminal behaviour and its impact on individuals and communities. She is also passionate about exploring cultural diversity and examining how media can be used as a tool to promote cross-cultural understanding and challenge stereotypes.

Saeeda Saadat – Volunteer RA

Saeeda Saadat is a third-year undergraduate psychology student at Toronto Metropolitan University who is a volunteer in the Culture and Diversity Lab. She is also working in the Cognitive Aging Lab as a lab manager and research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Lixia Yang. Saeeda finds the field of psychology fascinating and is interested in pursuing graduate studies!

Jacquie Cook-Martin – PSY 700 Student

Jacquie is a third-year student in the Psychology program at TMU, pursuing a minor in Economics. She is excited at the possibility of using psychological research to inform evidence-based policy that shifts responsibility away from individuals and toward systemic and structural solutions. Her current interests include education access, economic mobility, and early development of pro-social behaviour. Jacquie is also a research assistant in the Early Childhood Cognition Lab.

Julia Apreda – PSY 700 Student

Julia is a third-year Psychology student at Toronto Metropolitan University, pursuing a minor in Sociology. Her academic interests include childhood social and neurological development, specifically at the intersections of culture and gender. She hopes to continue her education in graduate school, where she would conduct independent research of her own! 
 

Wendy Wu – Volunteer RA

Wendy is an undergraduate psychology student at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is fascinated to learn and explore the mechanisms of psychological phenomena; particularly that of early childhood development, motivation, art, and stress adaptation. She is passionate about community engagement, political activism, art and music, and her pet cat, Mitten. Wendy is also a research assistant for the SingWell Project at the Science of Music, Auditory Research, and Technology (SMART) Lab.

Shapi John – Volunteer RA

Shapi is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University with minors in Sociology and Human Resources. She is currently involved as a Research Assistant both at the CODE and CMIC lab and a part of TMU’s EDIJ committee. Her academic interests are rooted in understanding how perception shapes and is shaped by societal structures.  She is drawn to how social outcomes can be manipulated through politics, relationships, and institutions and wishes to pursue a masters in social psychology.

Saman Akbarieh – External Independent Research Project Student

Saman is a fifth-year psychology student at York University who has been a research assistant at the Culture Collective Lab at York University and is currently completing his honours thesis on posthumous organ donation with Dr. Lo at the Culture and Diversity Lab under the supervision of Dr. Richard Lalonde. His research interests focus on cultural diversity, including similarities and differences across individuals and cultures. He plans to pursue a career as a psychotherapist working directly with individuals, couples and families.