Our Team

Associate Professor
calvin.lai@rutgers.edu | CV | Google Scholar
[Pronunciation: “KAL-vin LYE“]

Benny is a postdoc in the Diversity Science Lab. He holds a B.A. in psychology from Stanford University and a PhD in psychology from Princeton University. He's interested in how people think about social identity and how this does or doesn't change over time, especially in children, teenagers, and young adults. In his free time, he's an avid consumer of film, live theater, and novels. 

Sam is a first-year Ph.D. student in Social Psychology at Rutgers University. She completed her B.S. in General Psychology at Marywood University in 2024 and her M.S. degree in Experimental Psychology at Villanova University in 2026. Her Master's thesis examined how White Americans' racial vs. ethnic identification influences their diversity ideologies and willingness to acknowledge their racial privilege. At Rutgers, she is interested in pursuing research questions focused on support for diversity, equity, and inclusion initatives, social identity threat, and social identity complexity. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, coloring, and expanding her vinyl collection. 

Brianna is a third-year Ph.D. student in Social Psychology at Rutgers University. She earned a B.S. in Psychological Science from Ball State University, where her honors thesis explored how narrative and statistical appeals shape understanding of and collective actions towards the Black-White wealth gap. Prior to starting her PhD, she supported English language instruction for students in grades 8–12 as an ETA for Fulbright Bulgaria. At Rutgers, she is interested in exploring identity development and identity-related experiences in individuals whose identities do not fit neatly within one identity domain. As part of this, she has explored racial self-identification of multiracial individuals and identity denial experiences of Bisexual+ individuals. She is also interested in the effectiveness of prejudice reduction interventions. 

Shannon is a third-year Ph.D. student in Social Psychology at Rutgers University. Shannon brings experience from previous roles at the University of Arkansas, where she earned a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and an M.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences. A lifelong "doodler" in the margins of paper, Shannon's undergraduate honors thesis compared the cognitive psychological processes involved in notetaking strategies. Her master’s thesis examined Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) education as an intervention to reduce prejudice against the LGBTQIA+ community. She's interested in how religious and moral values shape perceptions and drive decision-making. Outside of the lab, Shannon is passionate about teaching and mentorship, making puns, and hiking. 

Sandra is a 4th year PhD student in the Psychology department at Rutgers University - New Brunswick. Her research explores factors that promote or dissuade intergroup contact. Her first line of research focuses on creating more inclusive STEM environments for women, with the aim of addressing their underrepresentation in the field. In her second line of research, she investigates behavioral and interpersonal processes in interracial interactions including relational safety cues, disclosure-responsiveness processes, and nonverbal manifestations of discrimination. Sandra is also passionate about increasing equity within academia and has served as co-chair of the graduate student Diversity & Climate Committee, an executive member of the Discovering Psychology Day Planning Committee, and is leading organization efforts of an interdisciplinary social and behavioral sciences research conference at Rutgers University.