Meet Our Team
Meet Our Team
Dr. Andree Hartanto
Lab Director
Andree is an education-track Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Singapore Management University. He received his PhD training in cognitive and developmental psychology. His current research focuses on understanding how daily experiential factors contribute to intraindividual changes and interindividual variability in affective and cognitive well-being. He is a natural night owl and loves to work late at night. But now, his main worry is that his lab members are slowly becoming night owls like him.
Nadyanna M. Majeed
Research Associate
Nadya is currently in her second year in the Fast-track Masters in Psychology Programme at SMU, and received her BSocSc in Psychology from SMU in December 2020. She is primarily an applied statistician/research methodologist, and has specific research interests in affective and cognitive science. She is also interested in research on race and identity, which she carries out at SHAWLab @ SMU. Prior to embarking on her Master's studies, she was attached to a child clinical/educational psychology practice for three months, and completed a 10-week music teaching internship with the Ministry of Education. In her free time, she codes, sings, and advocates for animal welfare.
Lee Yan Xin
Senior Thesis Student
Kristine was previously a Psychology undergraduate at SMU. Her interest lies in executive functioning, sleeping behaviours, technology engagement such as mobile phone usage and media multitasking behaviours. She did an independent study on the predictability of media multitasking and technology engagement on interindividual variability on cognitive functions using a latent variable approach. Now, she is doing her senior thesis on the relationship between objective-measured smartphone usage, sleep and cognitive failures. Outside of research, Kristine likes to golf, cook and swim.
Gloria J. Lai
Student Researcher / Project Co-lead
Gloria’s mother constantly tells her that she isn't allowed to get a cat by way of "my house, my rules" reasoning, but Gloria believes in the power of persuasion—hence the undertaking of a meta-analysis on human-animal interaction and prosociality. Spoiler alert: she still isn't allowed to get a cat. Just as cats are said to have nine lives, Gloria’s current enrolment as a first-year Masters student in Psychology at SMU is likened to her third “life”, with her previous two “lives” being accountancy and missions work. When not advocating for her cat-ownership desire, she can be found cooking, exercising, and pondering on the intricacies of life.
Manmeet Kaur
Student Researcher / Project Co-lead
Manmeet is currently a fourth-year Psychology undergraduate in SMU. Her research interests include clinical psychology and mental wellness - such as clinical disorders, mindfulness and meditation - focusing on their effects on cognition and life outcomes. She is currently doing her independent study on anxiety disorders and executive functioning. She regularly volunteers as a ward leader in the Institute of Mental Health, and previously volunteered as a tutor for children for beyond social services. Outside of research, her interests include watching a lot of horror and thriller movies and then not being able to sleep alone after.
Meenakshi Kothari
Student Researcher / Project Co-lead
Meenakshi is a senior double majoring in Psychology and Marketing at SMU. Her research interest includes mental well-being, relationships, and the effect of childhood experiences in later life. She is passionate about the field of psychology and aspires to become a psychologist. She aims to help people overcome the hesitation to approach counselling and hopes to show that mental health is equally important as physical health. Apart from her research interests, she is a trained Indian classical dancer who loves to swim, watch movies, and eat desserts.
Matthew H. S. Ng
Student Researcher
Matthew was previously a Psychology undergraduate at SMU. His research interests revolve around many of his experiences in his daily life. He often wonders how injury can affect the psyche of an athlete, why Singaporeans speak to Westerners in a fake accent and whether intelligence can be improved by listening to music. Apart from his contributions as a research assistant, he has interned at the Geriatric Education and Research Institute, exploring the issues and challenges of an aging population. When he is not doing research, he spends his time chasing a flying plastic disc.
Verity Y. Q. Lua
Masters Student/ Research Associate/ Project Lead
Verity usually introduces herself as ‘V’ because she recognizes the struggle of pronouncing her name. Currently, she is in her first year as a Masters student in Psychology under Dr Angela Leung. Despite being quite fickle in her day to day life, Verity is set on becoming an academic in the future. Her main research interest includes motivation, individual differences, social psychology and subjective well-being. But honestly, she’s quite curious about anything and everything, which explains the wide diversity of projects she has undertaken. When she’s not nerding out or buried in work, you might find her in the gym, skating, playing online games, or being sucked into some youtube documentary.
Jun Sen Chong
Student Researcher/ Project Co-Lead
A 14-year-old Jun Sen watched The Mentalist and decided that he was interested in Psychology. A 16-year-old Jun Sen found out that Psychology has got nothing to do with The Mentalist but the groundworks had already been laid. It was then that he decided to focus on semantics. Today he is a fourth-year Psychology and Marketing major, focused on ensuring that nobody makes the same mistakes that he has. His research interest is in Music and Subjective Well-Being. Once Jun Sen finds out what he wants to do for his future, he will update this page. Stay tuned.
Frosch Y. X. Quek
PhD Student/ Lab Manager
Frosch is currently a second-year PhD student in psychology at SMU, and was previously a Trainee at the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA) where she worked on panel data related to older Singaporeans and their well-being. Her research interest revolves around social engagement, particularly in its relationship with cognitive decline or as a buffer for stress. Before joining ROSA, Frosch was a research assistant at SMU for intermittent periods over 2 years, during which she managed the process of data collection, literature review and developed rubrics for subjective data analysis. Frosch holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Science from SMU, where she graduated with Summa Cum Laude. Reading, writing and making digital art are some of her favourite activities.
Ong Hee Seng, Alistair
Student Researcher
Hee Seng, also known as Alistair, is a graduate who double majored in Psychology and Sociology at SMU, and is currently in the traineeship program under Dr Hannah Chang, working on marketing research. His research interest lies primarily in the area of social cognitive and close relationship psychology - especially on social perception, ostracism, discrimination, and romantic relationships. Prior to joining the traineeship program, Hee Seng was a research assistant at SMU for over 2 years. He had been involved in the process of literature review, data collection, and data analysis. To learn more about research and social psychology, Hee Seng wrote a senior thesis on ghosting and romantic relationships under Dr Kenneth Tan. Outside of research, Hee Seng enjoys hiking, reading sci-fi, going to cafes and restaurants with friends, and playing computer games.
Chua Yi Jing
Masters Student
Yi Jing is a third-year undergraduate at SMU who is curious about anything and everything that she doesn’t already know. Although she is still not quite sure of her research interest yet, she decided to embark on an independent project because it sounded so interesting and exciting. Hopefully, she is able to gain some clarity about her research interests by the end of the project, and find a community of like-minded individuals who can provide her with some life advice. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, running and drawing.
Nicole R. Y. Chen
Masters Student/ Welfare Manager
Nicole is a first-year Masters student in Psychology at SMU. Her research interests include evolutionary mismatch, mate and friendship preferences/value, social traits, influences of social psychology on IO psychology, and well-being. Nicole plans to pursue a career in academia to satisfy her inquisitive and investigative nature. Fun facts: Nicole started learning ballet at the age of 3, and while she has since stopped ballet circa 8 years ago, she has been exploring different genres of dance till the present day. She's currently a member of SMU Caderas Latinas, and has discovered a newfound passion for salsa. She also has an extremely high spice tolerance. Nicole also gyms every weekday and is a huge fan of whiskey (which keeps her up at night to study).
Joax Wong
Masters Student
Joax is a third-year undergraduate at SMU who enjoys understanding the inner workings of the human mind. His research interests lies primarily in mood disorders like depression or schizophrenia. While he is generally new to research, he hopes to gain insights and be exposed to various forms of psychology. Outside of research, Joax is a hip-hop dancer.
A'isyah Najib
Independent Project Student
A'isyah is a Year 3 Psychology and Political Science undergraduate with a keen interest in Educational and Developmental Psychology. A'isyah has worked with individuals with ASD as a teacher-intern, where she learned to enjoy curating behavioural intervention tools for her students. This sparked her interest in the field and spurred her advocacy for educational inclusiveness in Singapore. A'isyah aspires to be an Educational Psychologist and spends her down time finding new places to have a good cup of coffee.
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Ooi Wei Ming
Independent Study Student
Wei Ming is currently a junior in SMU, pursuing a double major in Psychology and Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources. He is also an active Peer Helper and firmly believes in the importance of mental wellness. Wei Ming's interest lies in Positive Psychology. He hopes that additional research in this domain will improve our understanding of subjective well-being and help advance the field of applied counselling. When he is not busy with life, Wei Ming enjoys rewatching his favourite drama. His top 3 recommendations are Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, and Mindhunter.
Poh Xin Yi
Independent Project Student
Xin Yi is a junior at SMU double-majoring in Psychology and Marketing. After graduating from Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Tourism and Resort Management, she chose to pursue a psychology degree to satisfy her interests in understanding humans behaviors. Her main research interests consist of Positive Psychology, Social Psychology, Consumer Behavior and mental health problem among young adults. As a Gen-Z who grew up with technology, she is concerned about the impact of going digital and using social media on people's well being and is excited to explore the potential of positive psychology interventions in alleviating this situation. Aside from her academic pursuits, she is an active executive committee member of SMU Caderas Latinas, the university's premier tertiary salsa club and SMU Re-X, the university's pioneer retail club. When she is free, you can spot her catching up on her Korean entertainment show, embroidering or creating videos!
Jonathan L. Chia
PhD Student
Jonathan is a first-year PhD student at Singapore Management University. Jonathan’s primary area of research is on ageing. His previous work at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine focused on the biopsychosocial aspects of ageing, with specific emphasis on neurocognitive function. He was also a research coordinator at National Cancer Centre. Jonathan received his Clinical Dementia Rating Rater certification from the University of Washington School of Medicine in 2018, and has accumulated other biomedical research certifications along the way.
Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna
PhD Student
Sandee (whose real name is Sandeeshwara, but we all know you can't pronounce that) is a fourth-year undergraduate at SMU studying psychology. Her research interests aren’t really properly tailored yet to a specific, as she is just about to start her research journey, but for now she’s tentatively exploring clinical, social and criminal psychology as possible alternatives. Hopefully she will be able to gain more clarity as she is exposed to more aspects of psychology and research work. She is also Sri Lankan, and is obsessed with all things Sri Lankan (that includes food and cricket). In her free time, she reads books, mostly classical novels, and is guilty of an inordinate fondness for Austen and Shakespeare.
Harleen Kaur
Independent Project Student
Harleen is currently a third-year Psychology undergraduate in SMU. Her research interests includes Social Psychology, Clinical Psychology and also Ageing. She has worked together with seniors to help improve their overall well-being through creating an interactive exercise mat. She is keen on exploring various ways she can go about to help the community to be able to unmute their voices and stand up for what they truly believe in. Beyond the realm of research, she likes watching videos of calligraphy and probably practicing them though she is not good at it...yet. A fun fact about her is that she has a serious obsession with Hello Kitty!
Harkiran Kaur
Independent Project Student
Ever since she was 16 years old, Harkiran has preferred to go by the name Kira, after experiencing the numerous amount of time someone mispronouncing her name. Currently she is a third-year undergraduate in SMU, majoring in Psychology. Her research interests include anything related to the Psychology field. Right now, she is exploring the areas of social psychology, clinical psychology, ageing and neuropsychology. Hopefully, through the various projects, she will be able to find her calling in a specific field. Aside from her academic pursuits, she is a huge fan of Harry Potter especially the character Hermione – perhaps that could be why she tends to be academic oriented. Also, she loves watching crime shows as it gives her the opportunity to analyse the minds of the criminals.
Keisha Divya Veerapandian
Research Assistant
Keisha is currently a fourth-year student double majoring in Psychology and Health Economics and Management at SMU. Her research interests include mental wellness, social interactions, cognitive functioning and child-wellbeing. She is passionate about working with children, and she currently works as a trainee behavioural therapist for special needs children. She is also a volunteer tutor for Comm.UnitySG and Children’s Cancer Foundation, where she has worked with underprivileged children and youths. Outside of her research and work, Keisha enjoys watching mystery thrillers and crime shows. Besides spending time on Netflix, she also sings as a member of an Acapella Society, and regularly goes bouldering.
Tina Ng
Research Assistant
Tina is currently a third-year psychology student. A fun fact is that she likes learning languages. In the future, she hopes that she can be a psychology professor, and plans to study abroad after finishing her undergraduate education at SMU. For now, she hasn't found a specific research interest, but generally she enjoys conducting research on learning, memory, and development.
Angela Li Mingyao
Research Assistant
As a year 4 double degree undergraduate in Business and Social Science, Angela is interested in cognitive and cultural psychology. Growing up a bicultural, she loves travelling and embraces diversity. During her free time, she spent most of her time with her family and bringing her Bichon puppy (Lucky) to dog runs.
Keith Tay
Independent Project Student
Keith is a Year 4 student majoring in Psychology and Communication Management. Interested in positive and cognitive psychology, he intends to pursue postgraduate studies as a clinical and counselling psychologist upon graduation. Understanding the importance of both the practical and research-based aspects of psychology, Keith has interned both at private psychology clinics and at Singapore Prison Services, where he carried out various projects related to criminal psychology. Working with his peers at the DawnLab to complete an Individual Research Project, Keith hopes to use his experiences to contribute the best he can to the Lab.
Adalia Goh
GRSS Student
Adalia is a Y3 psych major. She was from Ngee Ann Poly studying Mass Communication. She likes volunteering with animals (dog shelter) and children, and watching criminal psychology in her free time. She also enjoys learning about religion and the rationale behind religions, and loves exploring “deep” topics that relate to sociology. She was originally torn between psychology and sociology as she enjoyed studying about both of them, but she decided to go with psychology because she felt like it resonated with and was more personal to her. She's interested in how people react to things and why! She thinks research is an amazing starting point to answer many questions, and she hopes to learn a lot in DawnLab!
Jolene Ong Shi Ying
GRSS Student
Jolene is a Year 3 undergraduate majoring in Psychology and Sociology. Although her research interests are currently anything under the sun, she hopes to be exposed to different areas of research through GRSS and gain a better understanding of her research interests. A question that had been bothering her since the start of RM1 is “Can psychological research be done on anything and everything?”. As such, she plans to continue searching for the answer to this question. Outside of academics, Jolene can be found ‘taek-ing it down’ at SMU’s Taekwondo Club. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking, and crocheting.
Judy Abigail Ngo
GRSS Student
Judy is a Year 3 Psychology student with a second major in Health Economics and Management in Singapore Management University. She is interested in the field of Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience, as well as Health and Ageing. In the future, she hopes to further her studies in Cognitive Psychology/Neuroscience and do research on cognitive disorders, such as dementia, and find ways to delay or prevent them. In her free time, Judy loves to cook for her family and friends, and would love to open a small cafe in the future. She also enjoys crafting, in particular, embroidery, floral arrangement and pottery. To keep fit, she has also recently picked up inline skating.
Lim Ming Han
GRSS Student
Ming Han is a fourth year Psychology Major. His primary research interests lie in criminal/forensic and social psychology. In particular, he is interested in fields that deal with and interact with people, such as crime, policing, and counselling. His secondary research interest lies in the study of close relationships and relationship science. Two research topics he has explored are: environment complexity and eyewitness reliability, and power and risk-taking behaviour at the workplace. Outside of school, Ming Han likes to travel and explore new things to do in Singapore.
Chia Shu Min
GRSS Student
Shu Min is currently a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in Psychology and Organisational Behaviour & HR. Prior to her undergraduate journey at SMU, she obtained her Diploma in Nursing and Specialist Diploma in Veterinary Clinical Practice at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Her research interests include nature exposure, human-animal interactions and stress management. She is also currently exploring areas such as Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Health Psychology and Positive Psychology. By joining DawnLab, she hopes to gain more insights into the world of research. During her free time, you can find her cooking and baking in the kitchen, getting her hands dirty in the garden, singing in a choir and caring for dogs in an animal shelter.
Nicole Teo
GRSS Student
Nicole is a penultimate student at SMU, double-majoring in Psychology and Technology for Business. She was initially interested in Psychology so as to be able to save money on therapy (which didn't work out), but subsequently became fascinated with the complexities of the human mind. She has strong interests in the fields of Neuropsychology & Clinical Psychology (particularly in psychotherapy), and spends way too much time listening to podcasts about mental health and psychologist interviews (like the controversial Jordan Peterson) In her spare time, she (tries to) spends her time reading & doing yoga/pilates.
Soh Xun Ci
Independent Project Student
Xun Ci is currently a second-year student at SMU, majoring in Psychology. Prior to her journey at SMU, she graduated from Ngee Ann with a diploma in Health Sciences (Nursing). In research, she hopes to understand the science behind why mental health remains a prevalent issue that couldn’t be resolved entirely through pharmacotherapy and what measures we can take to optimize our mental well-being. Besides her interest in clinical, she is keen to explore areas in cognitive psychology and aging-related issues closely related to the brain. During her free time, she enjoys chilling at a cafe with a cup of iced black coffee!
Ashlee Tan
GRSS Student
Ashlee is currently a Y2 student studying Psychology. Her research interests centre around neuropsychology and she loves reading about the human anatomy, especially the brain and cardiovascular system. You can usually find her sleeping on the floor or wandering around specialty grocery stores to get inspiration for her next culinary conquest.
Stella Ong Jing Min
Independent Project Student
Stella is a second-year student at SMU majoring in Psychology and interested in researching psychological violence and the impact of social relationships on well-being. She considers psychology to be a challenging jigsaw puzzle as everyone’s worries and situations are different. She enjoys analysing and listening to other’s problems and helping them. She also likes doing everything herself, even if it means lugging a 22kg armchair from IKEA to her house, where she now spends her days lazily reading her books on it. She plans to continue to serve alongside the youths with the goal of becoming a clinical psychologist to help others. Heads up, don’t put your faith in her ability to read Google maps; she may have mistakenly brought a friend to the mental institution rather than the Salvation Army. Maybe it’s an indication that she belongs there...as a psychologist?
Lee Ting Yu
Senior Thesis Student
Ting Yu is a rising final year undergraduate who is pursuing currently pursuing a Double Bachelor's Degree in Social Sciences (Psychology) and Business (Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources). Her research interests include areas such as Clinical Psychology, Social Psychology, and Positive Psychology. She previously assisted in data collection processes for ageing and social media studies respectively. Internships wise, she has worked for organisations such as ICA Psychological Services, National Council of Social Service, and is currently interning at Police Psychological Services Department. She aspires to become psychologist after she graduates. Fun fact would be that she loves trekking and karaoke!
Alycia Ho
Independent Project Student
Alycia Ho is a 4th year Psychology student in Singapore Management University, School of Social Sciences. She is interested in research areas such as social and personality psychology, developmental psychology, and clinical psychology. She has a strong passion and desire to learn more about research in the field of Psychology. Alycia hopes to publish her own research one day in an area of research that she finds the most fascinating! She plans to pursue her Master’s in Psychology and even perhaps one day completing her PhD. A fun fact about herself is that she used to be extremely afraid of dogs. But, ever since her family adopted a dog, she found out that dogs are extremely friendly animals and plans to get one of her own in the future.
Zachary Teo
Independent Project Student
Zachary is a year 4 student who is deeply interested in the mental, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. With over 7 years of experience with teaching/working with children and youth in both the mainstream and special needs sector, Zachary aims to pursue a masters and work with them in the future. A fun fact is that he has 9 siblings.
Koh Paye Shin
Independent Project Student
Paye Shin is a second-year Psychology undergraduate in SMU. In terms of research interests, she's more interested in experiencing all of them before she decides on a specific one. She's currently interning as a therapist aid for children with special needs, where she carries out evidence-based programmes and teach social skills classes. Paye Shin has not decided which route she wants to pursue yet, but she knows that whatever comes her way. she will tackle with as much vigour and interest as she possibly can! When bored, one of her consistent pastimes is exploring unknown areas. Though it has gotten her chided, the final scenery and the delight of discovery only reinforces her behaviour!
Gabriel Tan Xing Da
Independent Project Student
Gabriel is a current second-year undergraduate majoring in Psychology. As someone passionate about mental health, he normalizes and encourages the talking about one’s personal issues in an intentional effort to reduce the stigma associated with mental health. He aspires to become a Clinical Psychologist, focusing on everyday problems that impact one’s mental well-being and to better understand why people are so susceptible to mental struggles. He has also taken up certifications in counselling skills to extend support and lend a listening ear to the people he meets, while empowering them with resources to cope.
Tristin Tan
Independent Project Student
Tristin is a final year undergraduate at SMU whose research interest lies in mental disorders and social inequality. She believes that there is goodness and potential in everyone, if we just try to see pass their appearances and status. Although she really loves her major, sometimes she wishes she could study philosophy too. So before you go, she will be leaving you with her favourite philosophical quote thus far - "If you are not a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish?"
Belinda Foo Xuan En
GRSS Student
Belinda is a Y3 undergraduate majoring in Psychology and Legal Studies. With a keen interest in Criminal Psychology, the crux of this interest lies in understanding human behaviour, especially those deemed abnormal, hence believing that research is a great way forward in understanding more about our world. Outside of academics, she enjoys watching horror movies and F1. She also enjoys reading, especially when commuting between places.
Joy Lim
Independent Project Student
Joy is a Year 3 Psychology Undergraduate with a second major in Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources. Her research interests include clinical psychology and social psychology. Currently new to research, she hopes to explore more areas of interest and gain valuable skills and experience. After graduation, she aspires to become a psychologist. During her free time, she enjoys watching shows on Netflix, playing casual games (like the Sims), spending time with her family, shopping with her close friends, and playing with her dog.
Yeo Wei Hong
GRSS Student
Wei Hong is second-year Psychology undergraduate in SMU. His research interest lies in the area of clinical psychology, forensic psychology and romantic relationship. Being a generalist in nature, he actively seeks out opportunity that is outside the field of psychology, in order to better understand the complexity of the world today, and to meet different people of different beliefs, strengths and profession. He enjoys going on road trips, singing and enjoys joking around (He jokes around with people that I am going to be a founding father of talking nonsense therapy).
