People | Diversity & Identity

Dr. Teri Kirby
Principal Investigator

Dr. Teri Kirby (she/her) completed her Bachelor's degree (B.A.) at the University of Pennsylvania in 2008 and her Ph.D. at the University of Washington in 2015. In 2015, she became a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Social Psychology at the University of Exeter and was promoted to Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in 2018. In 2022, she moved to Purdue University as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2024.

Dr. Kirby’s research interests lie in the realm of diversity, self and identity, intergroup relations, and discrimination. Her primary research questions examine how attempts to increase diversity shape the experience of groups that have been historically underrepresented. Which approaches to diversity management are most beneficial? How do these approaches affect ethnic minorities’ and women’s sense of self and identity? She examines these questions in academic and organizational contexts using multiple measurement approaches.

In her spare time, she enjoys trying/making new food, reading fiction (especially on social justice topics or dystopian), making unnecessary spreadsheets, and arguing about whether dogs or cats are better (it's dogs, with the exception of Kartoffel, the best cat in the world).

PhD Students

Junming Zhang (she/her) is a third-year Social Psychology PhD student at Purdue under the supervision of Dr. Teri Kirby. She is broadly interested in diversity, intergroup relations, belongingness, and intersectionality. Before coming to Purdue, Junming completed her undergraduate studies at University of Richmond and majored in Psychology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Outside from academics, she enjoys cooking, hanging out with friends, and exploring nature through hiking and camping.

Email: zhan4621@purdue.edu

Junming Zhang

Max Miller (he/they) is a first-year Social Psychology PhD student at Purdue under the supervision of Dr. Teri Kirby. He is broadly interested in stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination affecting the LGBTQ+ community. Max earned their B.S. in Brain and Behavioral Sciences with a Biological Sciences minor from Purdue. He also worked as a lab manager for two years for Dr. Linda Zou at the University of Maryland before becoming a graduate student. In their free time, Max loves listening to music, watching movies, and trying new vegan food.

Email: mill2338@purdue.edu

Max Miller

Linh Pham (she/her) is a first-year PhD student in social psychology. She is broadly interested in how people think about diversity and its impact on intergroup relations and support for social changes. Prior to starting grad school, Linh received her BA in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Washington (UW) in 2022 and was a lab manager for Stereotypes, Identity, and Belonging Lab at UW, directed by Dr. Sapna Cheryan. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with her dogs, playing board games, and cleaning.

Email: pham190@purdue.edu

Linh Pham

Austin Zeng
Research Coordinator

Austin Zeng (he/him) coordinates the lab research in the Diversity, Identity, and Prejudice Lab. He is interested in how people make causal attributions about others’ behaviors in an intergroup context. He is also interested in how judgments about others’ morality derive from these attributions. Before Purdue, he received his B.S. in Psychological & Brain Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Outside of psychology, he enjoys reading philosophy and science fiction.

Email: zeng297@purdue.edu

Cheyenne Essex
(she/her)

Research Assistants

Trina Makalintal

(she/her)

Annabelle Battiste

(she/her)

Gillian Larson
(she/her)

Maddie Rey

(she/her)

Cydney Wathen

(they/she)

Dante Rohan
(he/him)

Kiah Johnson

(she/her)

Rachel Hand

(she/her)

Riley Ritter

(she/her)

Lab Alumni

Post-Doctoral Fellows:

Dr. Marco Silva Rego (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal)

PhD Students:

Dr. Nicole Russell Pascual (Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)
Dr. Edwina Wong (Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Amsterdam)
Dr. Antonia Sudkaemper (Cambridge Assessment)
Dr. Joo Hou (Joshua) Ng (Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Taylor’s University, Malaysia)
Sabrina Spangsdorf (Strategic advisor and educational analyst, Hillerød Municipality, Denmark)

Research Coordinators:

Eirini Ketzitzidou Argyri (currently a PhD student at the University of Exeter)
Casey McMahon (currently a PhD student at Columbia University)

Master's Students:

Nicole Russell Pascual (ESRC funded)
Gazi Eraslan
Hexin Ji
Tom Ovett
Eileen Schwanold
Xueying Yang
Pantelis Kalpouzos

Undergraduate Researchers: Charlotte Walters, Jack Oades, Shania Hughes, Faye Proud, Alix Baker, Joseph Edmonds, Zoe Bird, Bethany Rachel Wells, Joseph Wright, Vilma Karolina Jokinen, Nicole Russell Pascual, Jemma Convery, Hayley Flint, Jamie Hendy, Laura Osman, Sophie Stadie, Alex Stratford, Riya Surtani, Darren Tan, Leah Fawaz, Zee Ning Liew, Navina Sandhu, Emily Credido, Greg Eckhartt, Sophie Erskine, Ines Huynh, Raphael Korine, Cordelia Powell, Lydia Sze, Varun Venkatraman, Leah Fawaz, Zee Ning Liew, Navina Sandhu, Ciara Beaumont-Wood, Chi Chan, Chun Chang, Roisin Doherty, Katy Dunnill, Natalie Green, Natalie Priestley, Rija Tariq, Britney Ramos, Sarah Kenway, Shannon Sturt, Abi Click (currently a PhD student at the University of Connecticut), Carson Schalk, Kavya Krishnan (currently a Master student at Palo Alto University), Lily Whitehair