Lab Members

Heather Henderson, Ph.D.

Lab Director

I am a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo.  I completed my B.Sc. in Psychology at McMaster University and my Ph.D. in Human Development at the University of Maryland-College Park. I joined the faculty at UW in July 2014.

Serena McDiarmid

PhD Candidate

Serena McDiarmid is a fourth-year doctoral candidate and Vanier Scholar with the Social Development Lab. Serena graduated with a BSc. Hons. in Health Studies & Gerontology from UW, a BEd. from Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Education, and a MASc in Developmental & Communication Science from the UW.

Elaria Ebeid

MASc Candidate

Elaria holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology – Research Intensive Specialization (Co-operative Program) from the University of Waterloo, where she conducted her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Uzma Rehman. She is currently pursuing a MASc in Developmental Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Heather Henderson. Her research explores how temperament shapes children's perceptions of one another.

Phoebe Macleod Emmer

MA Candidate
Phoebe is an MA student in the Social Development Lab supervised by Heather Henderson. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Queen’s University. Phoebe’s research focuses on children’s social and emotional development, as she is particularly interested in how temperament impacts children’s emotional exchanges. Her MA thesis will explore the relations between shyness, positive affect synchrony, and the quality of children’s social interactions.

Sarah English

PhD Candidate

Sarah is a PhD candidate in the Social Development Lab at the University of Waterloo. She completed a Master of Applied Science in Development and Communication Science at UW in 2021 and earned a Bachelor of Arts (2019) and Honours Certificate in Psychology (2020) from Mount Allison University. Sarah’s research explores the multiple motivations underlying children and adolescents’ use of affiliative behaviours during peer interactions.

Ana Ljujic

MASc Candidate
Ana completed her Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Honours Psychology and her Masters of Applied Science (MASc) in Developmental and Communication Science at the University of Waterloo. She is now in her first year of the PhD program in Developmental Psychology. She is broadly interested in the various factors that may play a role in linguistic alignment and social connection. Outside the lab, Ana loves to cook and travel!

Anna Savic

MASc Candidate

Anna is currently a second-year MA student in the Social Development Lab. Her current thesis examines the associations between parent and child shared positive affect during a problem solving task. During her time at the University, Anna has been extremely interested in child emotion regulation, and a child's ability to use and demonstrate their emotions when interacting with others especially parents and peers. Anna is also interested in disseminating this knowledge in an applied setting, including involving community organizations.