Daniel Sanji

Daniel Sanji is a first-year graduate student in the Social Psychology Ph.D. program mentored by Dr. Michael Kraus and Dr. Sylvia Perry. He received his BS in Psychology and History with a minor in Asian American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022. Prior to matriculating into graduate school, Daniel spent two transformative years as Dr. Sa-kiera Hudson’s inaugural lab manager at the University of California, Berkeley. Daniel researches how non-prototypical minority groups (e.g., Asian Americans, multiracial individuals, nonbinary individuals) perceive stereotypes about themselves, how others perceive these stereotypes, and how these perceptions interact to influence intergroup relations (e.g., conflict and solidarity, collective action, political behavior) and identity development. He received the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award (2024) for his project, Ambivalent stereotypes of Asian Americans and their hierarchy-enhancing function in US society.

Daniel is originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. In his free time, Daniel enjoys cooking Japanese comfort food, weightlifting, and collecting small knick knacks to display in his apartment. He also enjoys drawing, going to concerts, and engaging with the Midwestern Japanese American (nikkei) and Asian American communities.

Rachel Davis

Rachel is a second-year student at Northwestern University. She is planning to complete a dual major in psychology and biological sciences on the pre-medical track. Rachel is excited to be a part of the SCIP Lab, where she looks forward to working with participants and gaining research experience. She is particularly interested in the development of biases in our social, personal, and professional relationships, and how this relates to inequities in health care.

Outside of the classroom, Rachel is an elementary school teaching assistant and enjoys volunteering in community initiatives. In her free time, she likes to go hiking, explore new places, and go thrifting with friends. 

Narmeen Chahal

Narmeen is a sophomore planning on majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish on the pre-medical track at Northwestern University. She is excited to be a part of the SCIP Lab and take part in meaningful research in regards to the development and spread of biases. Narmeen is especially interested in understanding how children develop biases, as well as the effects of biases on underrepresented groups in the healthcare system.

Outside of school, Narmeen works with preschool children to develop their literacy and social-emotional skills. She also enjoys going running, trying new restaurants, and going to concerts.

Shaniya Kendrick

Shaniya is a rising sophomore undergraduate at Northwestern University majoring in Psychology with a minor in Art Theory and Practice. She is excited to join the SCIP lab as she explores how people’s implicit biases influence their interactions with others. Shaniya is especially interested in exploring how parenting styles influence childhood development, especially concerning generational trauma.  

In her free time, Shaniya enjoys finding a good book to read, watching an entertaining movie or tv-series, and sketching random artworks. On campus, She enjoys playing volleyball with her friends and attending fun events.    

Celena Kim

Celena is a sophomore double majoring in Data Science and Computer Science at Northwestern. During her time at the SCIP Lab, she is eager to combine her two passions of social psychology and data science to embark on fascinating research projects. By intertwining these diverse fields, she aims to use quantitative analysis methods to explore psychological contexts through a more intricate lens. Celena also hopes this opportunity will allow her to gain insightful skills and experience needed to one day conduct her own analyses of racism and biases within the Asian American community.

Outside of school, Celena loves to play guitar, thrift shop, go to concerts, and make new Spotify playlists.

Michelle Hong

Michelle is a senior studying Psychology and Journalism and minoring in Legal Studies. She is excited to join SCIP lab to gain research experience as well as learn more about how one’s social identity influences their perception of others. Michelle is interested in how implicit biases and prejudice form and how they can be unlearned, and she hopes to apply this knowledge to the context of clinical psychology in the future.

Outside of class, Michelle dances on two of Northwestern’s dance teams: Fusion and Refresh. She also enjoys being creative with graphic design and clothes (crocheting, embroidery, etc.). In her free time, she likes to go thrifting and have picnics with her friends as well as listen to good music!

Anika Wilsnack

Anika is a rising junior at Northwestern University majoring in psychology and minoring in musicology and music cognition. Her research interests include social-cultural psychology and multiracial identity formation, and she is excited to engage with SCIP Lab research to learn more about the psychological impacts of bias intervention. Anika spent a year at Professor Rich Lee's lab at the University of Minnesota working as a research assistant for a study on racial disparities in mental health during Covid-19, as well as a multisite UCLA study on racial socialization in Asian American families. This summer, Anika worked as a communications and sound design intern at the Northwestern Institute for Gender and Sexual Minority Health and Wellbeing, and she is looking forward to furthering her involvement with research at Northwestern this fall.

Outside of the lab, Anika is very passionate about music and spends much of her time playing guitar and drums. She is involved with Northwestern's radio station, WNUR, and is a productions manager for Unity Fashion Show. She also enjoys rock climbing and spending time with her two dogs and cat.

Joy Chou

Joy is a senior pursuing a dual degree in Psychology and Music Cognition, with a minor in Legal Studies and the Integrated Marketing Communications Certificate. His interests lie in the correlation between biases and intersectional identities, with a focus on the trans youth community. He is excited to be a part of the SCIP lab to gain a deeper understanding of the intricate processes of psychological research. He is also looking forward to incorporating his research experiences in music cognition and legal studies into his senior research project at SCIP. He hopes to apply these research skills and knowledge to the context of clinical psychology and civic education in the future. 

Outside of classes and the lab, Joy works as a server and barista at a local ice cream shop! In his free time, Joy enjoys cooking, hammocking by the lake, coffee shop-hopping, and listening to music.

Yadira Lopez

Yadira is a junior double majoring in Psychology and Global Health Studies with a minor in Legal Studies. She is excited to gain research experience and delve deeper into the field of Social Psychology. Her interests focus on exploring bias and cultural influences in the Latine community.

Outside of classes and the lab, Yadira is involved in Matriculate, NU's Community for Human Rights, and residential college life. She also enjoys listening to music, watching TV, and spending time with family and friends.

Fatima Balci

Fatima received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Selcuk University, Turkey. During her undergraduate years, she had research experiences examining interpersonal emotion regulation, dehumanization, social exclusion and migration. She is currently interested in the social and individual foundations of attachment to God and how this affects mental health. Fatima is excited to take part in the SCIP lab and expand her research experiences in the field of Social Psychology.

Outside of the lab, Fatima is serving as a teaching assistant at English as a Second Language classes offered to the community. In her free time, she enjoys walking, cycling, reading novels and visiting museums.

Virginia Hunt

Virginia is a second-year student studying Journalism and Biology at Northwestern University. Virginia is grateful to be a member of the SCIP lab, and she looks forward to gaining research experience and working on projects that she believes will create deep societal change. Virginia is especially interested at the intersection of bias and healthcare, as well as developing accessible systems of education. In her free time, Virginia enjoys running and playing guitar, especially in her hometown of Music City.   

Lauren Rollins

Lauren is a first-year double majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Science with a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is excited to be a member of the SCIP Lab, where she will explore racial biases in relation to protest culture. Lauren is especially interested in the acquisition of biases in children as well as the social and psychological implications of experiencing intersectionality, particularly merging race and sexuality.

Outside of classes and the lab, Lauren is involved in Dale Duro Latin Dance Company and Bienestar, a Latin service organization. She loves cats, baking, building Lego sets, and spending time with her friends.

Benjamin Barrish

Benjamin is a freshman psychology major who is excited to conduct research with SCIP. Through his involvement with SCIP, Benjamin hopes to gain psychological insight into contemporary issues surrounding prejudice and othering. He also looks forward to learning and refining research skills which will help him achieve his eventual goal of conducting independent research.

Outside of the classroom, Benjamin is highly involved in Jewish student groups on campus, as well as Northwestern’s club track team. In his free time, Benjamin likes to play basketball, try new foods, listen to music, explore new parts of Chicago, and relax with friends. 

Sun Yun

Sun is a senior student at Seoul National University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Anthropology. She is excited to be part of the SCIP Lab where she looks forward to elaborating on her research interests in intergroup dynamics, how stereotypes influence people’s attitudes and behaviors, and how to mitigate intergroup conflict. She is especially interested in incorporating anthropological concepts into psychological studies by transcending dichotomic and simplified approaches and capturing the complex and subtle nuances of intergroup dynamics.

Outside of school, Sun enjoys playing the keyboard in her school band. She is also a big fan of Arsenal, spending most of her free time watching football matches.

Talia Dauer

Talia is a first-year student studying cognitive science and Jewish studies with a minor in global health. During her time in the SCIP lab, she looks forward to learning more about the creation and spread of biases, particularly within racial and religious groups. Additionally, she hopes her work in the lab will contribute to understanding how to promote civil dialogue on campus.

Outside of the classroom, Talia is involved in Northwestern Hillel, enjoys playing in the flute choir, tutoring for Academy of Music and Special Education (AMASE), and being a part of Alpha Chi Omega. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and her dog, Benji!

Prisha Bishen

Prisha is a second-year psychology major at Bard College. As a part of the SCIP lab, she aims to conduct research in intersectional psychology relating to gender and racial discrimination and identity making as well as investigate how people navigate identifying their biases. 

Outside of class, Prisha takes keen interest in Bollywood dancing, painting and playing the ukulele. She also enjoys songwriting, grocery shopping and playing soccer! 

Lourdes Espinal

Lourdes is a junior double majoring in Psychology and Sociology at Northwestern. She is excited to join the SCIP lab and explore her interest in interpersonal group dynamics. She is particularly interested in how identity factors play a role in group to group interactions, especially in how groups perceive and behave around others they consider different to themselves. She aims to explore quantitative and qualitative research methods while researching psychological dynamics in a multi-dimensional way. Lourdes aims to deepen her understanding of human interaction in and out of group dynamics, and she is eager to explore this in the lab.

In her free time, Lourdes loves to read, paint, and watch horror films with friends.

Charlie Hill

Charlie is a sophomore majoring in psychology and minoring in economics or statistics, potentially framing his passion for the mind in a consumer marketing, clinical psychology, or research context. He is grateful and excited to join the SCIP Lab, possibly researching how multiracial identities intertwine or how implicit biases emerge and propagate through adolescence. 

Outside of the classroom and lab, Charlie enjoys working with youth as a camp counselor and tutor, playing with his dog Peanut, listening to contemporary hip-hop or 90s/2000s R&B, and avidly supporting DC-based sports teams!

Seth Kosanovich

Seth is a senior pursuing a double major in Psychology and Integrative Business Management at Knox College. He is excited to join the SCIP lab to increase his research experience as well as learn more about how self-held stigmas and willingness to engage in activism changes before and after a minority identity is revealed during an interaction. Seth is interested in how athletic environments are influenced and shaped by concealed and non-concealed identities for all individuals involved, and he currently plans to take this knowledge and experience for a future career in developmental clinical psychology.

Outside of class, Seth is involved in a variety of on-campus activities, including peer educator positions for counseling services, disability services, and the intercultural life center. During his free time, he enjoys planning trips with friends to try new food options, watch sporting events, participate in activism opportunities, and spend time in nature. 

Farrah Stanczak

Farrah, not to be confused with the late great Mrs. Fawcett, has a bachelors in dog treats and a masters in belly rubs from Cute Pets U. Farrah studies how vacuums are secretly plotting to take over the world. 

In her spare time, she enjoys long walks, barking at squirrels, and chewing on her parents' "good" shoes. She is excited for all the attention she will be receiving from the SCIP Lab and Psych Dept.