
Wisdom and Identity lab
MEET OUR LAB
Graduate Students

Jessica Carmichael, PhD Candidate
Program and Year:
PhD in School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP), 6th Year
Previous Education:
MSc at the University of Calgary
Hons BA (Hons) at Laurentian University
Research Interests:
Jessica's interest lie within the field of child and adolescent mental health. Her dissertation research examines how factors present within the clinician (e.g., training, experience, personality) influence treatment outcomes for children and youth in psychotherapy.
Email:

Melanie Munroe, PhD Candidate
Program and Year:
PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE), 5th Year
Previous Education:
MA in DPE at OISE
Hons BA in Psychology at Brock University
Research Interests:
Melanie's research focus revolves around how individuals cope wisely with adversity. More specifically, her thesis looks at how meaning-making and various coping styles impact the relationship between post-traumatic growth and wisdom in emerging adults.
Email:

Fatemeh Alhosseini, PhD Candidate
Program and Year:
PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE), 4th Year
Previous Education:
MA in DPE at OISE
BA in Clinical Psychology at the University of Alzahra
Research Interests:
Fatemeh’s research is focused on exploring how some refugee adolescents adapt positively to their new environment, whereas others struggle to do so. In partnership with the Friendship in Action (FIA) organization, Fatemeh designed a narrative based workshop for refugee students, helping them build their life stories. Her research will also explore the effectiveness of narrative workshops on refugee students’ positive adaptation.
Email:

Andrew Goodwin, PhD Student
Program and Year:
PhD in School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP), 3rd Year
Previous Education:
MA in SCCP at OISE
Hons. BSc in Psychology at UofT
Research Interests:
Andrew's current research interests focus on three main areas:
1) Investigating the underlying processes and critical contributory factors involved in wisdom and identity development in young adults with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder.
2) Investigating how values interact with wisdom and identity development to facilitate optimal outcomes for life, self, and others.
3) Utilizing person-centred methodologies to better understand the lives, experiences, perspectives, and developmental processes of individuals with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Email:

Juensung Kim, PhD Student
Program and Year:
PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE), 3rd Year
Previous Education:
MA in DPE at OISE
Hons BA in Cognitive Science at UofT
Research Interests:
Juensung studies wisdom, purpose, and meaning in life, especially how these things can be intentionally pursued through various practices and ways of life.
Email:

Nicole A. Sardella, PhD Student
Program and Year:
PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE), 2nd Year
Previous Education:
MEd Developmental Psychology and Education at OISE/UofT
Hons. BA in Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Buddhism, Psychology, & Mental Health at UofT
Research Interests:
Nicole studies wisdom cultivation through the creative arts. Her research focuses on self-transcendence rendered by engagement in music.
Email:

Sadaf Pour Iliaei, PhD Student
Program and Year:
PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE), 2nd Year
Previous Education:
MA in Developmental Psychology at Concordia University
MSc in Cognitive Psychology at the Institute for Cognitive Science Studies, Tehran, Iran
BA in English Translation at Allameh Tabataba'ee University, Tehran, Iran
Research Interests:
Sadaf is interested in studying wisdom from a cultural perspective. Currently, she is collaborating on a project investigating different ways of wise life management among Iranian immigrants and Syrian refugees.
Email:

Stephanie Morris, PhD Student
Program and Year:
PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE), 1st Year
Previous Education:
MA in DPE at OISE
Hons. BA in Psychology from Trent University
Research Interests:
Stephanie's research interest focus on how interacting with different narratives influence the development of identity and our learning process.
Email:

Zhe Feng, PhD Student
Program and Year:
PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE), 1st Year
Previous Education:
MEd Developmental Psychology and Education at OISE/UofT
BSc in Psychology (Mental Health Studies) at UTSC
Research Interests:
Zhe is interested in exploring the processes in meaning making with a cross-cultural perspective. She is currently studying the implicit conceptualizations of the wisdom in well-known historical figures. Zhe is also investigating the psychological and aesthetic characteristics of Chinese language and poetry.
Email:

Asma Shamim, PhD Student
Program and Year:
Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE), 1st Year
Previous Education:
MA in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE) at OISE/UofT
MEd in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE) at OISE/UofT
Research Interests:
Asma is interested in understanding the significance of the concepts of wisdom and identity in the lives of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Email:

Kiana Habibagahi, MEd Student
Program and Year:
MEd in Developmental Psychology And Education (DPE), 1st Year
Previous Education:
Hon BSc in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science at UofT
Research Interests:
Kiana is curious about the clinical potential of wisdom interventions, particularly in youth with suicidal ideation. She also hope to learn more about mental health in the classroom and the affective side of wisdom
Email:

Mohamed Al-Refae, MEd Student
Program and Year:
MEd in Developmental Psychology and Education (DPE), 1st Year
Previous Education:
Hon BSc in Psychology & Human Biology at UofT
Research Interests:
Mohamed is interested in studying wisdom-based interventions in clinical populations. He is currently examining various self-compassion-based interventions and their effectiveness in the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Email:
Volunteer Research Assistants
Arjun Hari
Caroline Jee
Claire Lung
Edith Krohmalnik
Kevin Tang
Mishel Alexandrovsky
Phillip Rajewicz
Pouria Saffaran
Rebecca Antonacci
Rose Talebi
Scott Walker
Shreyashi Saha
Shuna Fu
Sydney Caskenette
Zahira Tasabehji
Lab Alumni
Harrison McNaughtan