Members

Lab Director

Hilary Bergsieker

Hilary Bergsieker is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, where she directs the Diversity and Intergroup Relations Lab. She joined the faculty at Waterloo after completing her bachelors degree in Psychology at Stanford and a Fulbright Enterprise Scholarship in Berlin, Germany, followed by her Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Policy at Princeton. Dr. Bergsieker has expertise in trust formation and maintenance in diverse groups, social network analysis, and bias reduction, and was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science in 2017. She is a Fellow of the Engendering Success in STEM research consortium, collaborating with industry partners to use science-based interventions to advance the inclusion and success of women in engineering. When not pursuing her passion for research, Hilary also loves to spend time with her husband and three little boys, hike, camp, ski, watch spy movies, do arts and crafts, and travel.

Email: hburbank@uwaterloo.ca

Graduate Students

Jessica Trickey

Jessica Trickey is a PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Bergsieker. She completed her Bachelor of Arts Honours degree at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and her Master of Arts degree at the University of Waterloo. Jessica is interested in social justice research including the unique experiences of people with intersectional identities and factors influencing privileged groups' allyship behaviour. Her interests outside of academia include writing, reading, playing cozy video games, and spending time with her cat.

Email: jtrickey@uwaterloo.ca

Connery Knox

Connery Knox is a graduate student under the supervision of Dr. Bergsieker. He is interested in social psychology, specifically intimate relationships, as well as the effect societal norms can have on people’s self-concepts. Men's psychology, rebuilding trust in intimate and intergroup relationships, and intergroup relations, specifically between majority and minority groups, are his current research endeavours. Outside of psychology, he likes to go out with friends when possible, as well as competing in Esports.

Email: connery.knox@uwaterloo.ca

Shawn Yee

Shawn (he/him) is a graduate student being co-supervised by Dr. Bergsieker. He completed his Honours B.Sc. at the University of British Columbia. He is interested in studying identity and intergroup relations, but also has passing interests and experience working in both developmental psychology and neuroscience, and has recently begun substantive work in quantitative methodology. He hopes to continue contributing to research understanding the experiences of marginalized communities. Outside of academia, he enjoys crocheting/knitting, playing video games, and hiking.

Email: s6yee@uwaterloo.ca

Lab Managers

Ashling Ayekun

I am in the Honours Life Science program, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biology. I hope to one day combine my interest in social and clinical psychology and explore how racial discrimination and injustice can negatively impact mental health. In my free time, I enjoy watching movies, listening to music and spending time with friends.

Email: aayekun@uwaterloo.ca

Bhumika Bhandari

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Honours Psychology from the University of Waterloo. I have been intrigued by the discipline of Psychology from the time I was introduced to it and hence, aspire to pursue my graduate studies to continue exploring the field. I look forward to learning more about the dynamics of cross-cultural relationships. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, biking, and exploring new cafes.

Email: bbhandari@uwaterloo.ca