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

Alysia Williams – Graduate Student

Alysia is a first-year master’s student in the Psychological Science program at Toronto Metropolitan University. She graduated from Western University with an Honors Specialization in Psychology. Her research interests focus on examining the mechanisms that disrupt intergroups relations and sustain social inequities, specifically using cultural and intersectional frameworks.

Jacquie Cook-Martin – Lab Manager – Honours Thesis Student

Jacquie is a fourth-year student in the Psychology program at TMU, pursuing a minor in Economics. Her research interests centre on social cognition and quantitative experimental approaches to social and cognitive psychology, with an interest in using this research to inform evidence-based policy. She is a 2026 NSERC USRA holder and currently serves as the CODE Lab’s lab manager. 

Julia Apreda – Volunteer RA

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.

Ghazal (Eden) Faridi Haftkhani (they/them) – Volunteer RA

Ghazal (Eden) Faridi Haftkhani (they/them) is an undergraduate psychology student at Toronto Metropolitan University, pursuing a double minor in mathematics and biology. Their research interests include prejudice and its effects on psychological and physical well-being, as well as the study of psychology in digital spaces.

CODE Lab Alumni

Johanna Lewis
Saeeda Saadat
Saman Akbarieh