Elçin Ray-Yol
Ph.D. Candidate
Birth-place: Hatay, Turkey.
Education: PhD student, Applied Social Psychology, University of Guelph
Previous: M.A Social and Organizational Psychology at Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey, B.Sc (Honours) Psychology at Middle East Technical University, Turkey.
Research interest: As I have a strong wish to play an active role in the process of solving the problems of society, I am keen to conduct cross-cultural studies to facilitate the achievement and well-being of immigrants, refugees and ethnic minorities, that elicits the cooperation of all members of societies in any culture where a large number of ethnic minorities, refugees, and immigrants live. Moreover, in line with my hands-on work, personal and research experiences, I am also interested in strategies that promote positive inter-group relations.
I am inspired by the quote of my remarkable role model, Çiğdem Kağıtçıbaşı who was the first female President of the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology.
“Some findings of social psychology may refer to general panhuman relationships, others to relationships that hold only within specific socio-cultural settings. Only systematic cross-cultural comparison can separate these or identify the limits within which particular generalizations hold” (Kagitcibasi, 1970, p. 444)
Saghar (Helia) Chahar-Mahali
Ph.D. Candidate
Birth Place/Raised: Iran
Cultural Ethnicity: Iranian (Persian)
Education: PhD student, Applied Social Psychology, University of Guelph
Previous: M.A. (2019), Experimental and Applied Psychology, University of Regina; B.A. (Honours) Psychology, University of Regina.
Research Interests: Immigrant acculturation, Mental well-being of immigrants, National policies and their impacts on intergroup relations, Responses to discrimination and prejudice, and Positive psychology
Rima Marie Hanna
Ph.D. Candidate
Birth Place/Raised: Orlando, Florida
Cultural Ethnicity: Lebanese
Education: PhD student, Applied Social Psychology, University of Guelph
Previous: MA Applied Social Psychology, University of Guelph; BA Psychology (Honors w. Thesis), University of Windsor
Research Interests: Anti-oppressive feminist theory and practice, emotional and cognitive effects of street harassment, bystander initiative, intersections in street harassment (gender, ethnicity, and religion), identity politics, implications of/preventing sexual violence and harassment, cross-cultural understandings of gender relations, discrimination and inequality within social justice systems
Shruti Nadkarni
Ph.D. Student
Birth Place/Raised: Pune, Maharashtra, India
Cultural Ethnicity: Indian
Education: Ph.D. Student, Applied Social Psychology, University of Guelph
Previous: M.A. in Clinical Psychology and B. A. in Psychology from Fergusson College, India.
Research Interests: My research interests are in the psychology of inclusion, immigration, and identity. However, my primary focus is ethnic products in the Canadian market and the interaction of minorities with them. My research examines the interplay between the availability, accessibility, and usage of ethnic products, and how these factors relate to the ethnic identity and acculturation strategies of Canadian immigrants.
“They have no idea what it is like to lose home at the risk of never finding home again, have your entire life split between two lands and become the bridge between two countries.”
-Rupi Kaur, The Sun and Her Flowers
Hajar Soltan
Ph.D. Student
Birth Place/Raised: Iran
Cultural Ethnicity: Afghanistan
Education: PhD Student, Applied Social Psychology, University of Guelph, Ontario , Canada
Previous: MA Applied Social Psychology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; B.A. (Honors), Applied Psychology, Douglas College, British Colombia, Canada
Research Interests: Acculturation and Adaptation of Migrants, Psychological and Sociocultural Adaptation of Refugees, Cultural Factors Influencing Collective Action Intentions, Gender Equality across Cultures