Arshiya Aggarwal is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Riverside, where she works under the mentorship of Dr. Brent Hughes. Her research explores the dynamics that build (or break) social connections, focusing on how people navigate conflicts between personal identity and social expectations.

Before graduate school, Arshiya served as a lab manager with Dr. Hughes, studying the mechanisms of intergroup bias learning and generalization. She began her research career as a research assistant in Dr. Molly Crockett’s lab, contributing to projects related to introspective accuracy in judgment and decision-making.

Arshiya holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology, specializing in Electronics and Communication Engineering, from Manipal University, India. To learn more about her work, visit https://www.arshiyaggarwal.com/

Laura Ashlock - Logistics Committee Chair

Laura Ashlock is a 5th-year PhD candidate in the Psychology department at UC Riverside. Her research focuses on Industrial/Organizational Psychology, leader and follower identity, or the extent to which people see themselves as leaders or followers (or both!), as well as organizational factors that promote employee well-being. She has previously earned her BA in Psychology from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from USC. You can learn more about her lab’s work at https://leadershiplab.ucr.edu

Stephen Cadieux is pursuing his PhD in social psychology at the University of California, Riverside under the supervision of Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky. He studies well-being, positive interventions, and social connection.

Before beginning his PhD, he was a research assistant studying mindfulness with Dr. Ellen Langer at Harvard University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from The Ohio State University.

Destyni Cravens is a 4th-year PhD candidate in UCR's Developmental Psychology PhD Program. She was originally from a small town in Alabama and attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) for undergrad as a first-generation college student. Destyni obtained a BS in Psychology and a BA in Sociology with an undergraduate certificate in Mental Health. While there, she also took part in UAB's accelerated Bachelor's to Master's programs where she obtained a Master of Public Health (MPH). During undergrad, Destyni was also involved in several student-led mental health promotion organizations where she was able to advocate for better mental health resources for her peers. Destyni then moved to California for graduate school and is currently a 4th year PhD candidate in UCR's Developmental Psychology PhD program where she works with Dr. Misaki Natsuaki in the Developmental Transitions Laboratory. Her research interests focus on the role of early adverse experiences such as parental mental health concerns and growing up in a low-income family on child and adolescent development. More specifically, she is interested in the influence of parent-child role confusion, or when the parent-child role(s) become unclear within a family system, on child/adolescent development and various familial outcomes. During graduate school, Destyni has continued prioritizing her passion for service by serving as the Graduate Student Association (GSA)’s Basic Needs Liaison, the student lead for the Psychology Department’s First-Year Graduate Student Mentorship Program, and the Communications lead for the upcoming California Well-Being Conference (CaWBC), among other service roles on campus. In her free time, she loves to go on hot girl walks, explore coffee shops, and watch trashy reality TV.

Madison Montemayor-Dominguez is a 4th-year Ph.D. student in the PAWlab at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) under the supervision of Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky. Her research aims to test theory-based interventions that support well-being and personal growth. In light of the loneliness epidemic, she is especially interested in improving social connection. Her current focus is developing high-quality listening and curiosity-based interventions that increase social interactions, enhance relationship quality, and boost well-being. Broadly, she hopes to focus on positive activity intervention efficacy, looking beyond a “one size fits all” approach to consider individual differences in treatment effects. Before beginning her graduate studies at UCR, Madison spent five years in New York City working at various media buying agencies and media companies as an analyst, senior analyst, and ultimately manager. Madison completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Willamette University in Salem, OR, where she graduated cum laude with departmental honors in both her majors of Psychology and Civic Communications and Media.