People
People
Principal Investigator
I am an assistant professor of psychology at Ajou University (심리학과, 아주대학교). Prior to joining Ajou University, I was at Connecticut College.
Being exposed to group-based discrimination or negative stereotypes can lead individuals to experience psychological threat. I investigate the multilevel pathways (i.e., intrapersonal, interpersonal, intergroup, and regional-level processes) through which psychological threat impacts academic performance, intergroup relations and health, with a focus on testing interventions that mitigate the experience of threat.
A defining feature of my research is that I utilize innovative biological and computational approaches to maximize the ecological validity of my research. I graduated in August 2022 with my Ph.D. in social psychology, with a minor in social data analytics (a program focused on applying computational methods to social sciences), at Penn State. I graduated from Korea University with a double major in psychology and economics.
For more information, please see www.hyunjoonpark.net
Graduate Students (listed in alphabetical order)
Master’s student in the AI Psychology track. And received a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Data Technology from Hallym University. Interested in how people perceive and respond to psychological threats in everyday social contexts. With an emphasis on ecological validity, I use online behavioral and textual data to examine these processes as they naturally unfold in digital environments, and human–AI interactions.
I welcome conversations and collaborations on psychological research using online data, regardless of the specific topic. If you have an interesting psychological question that could be explored through digital traces, online communities, or human–AI interactions, I would be happy to hear from you!
Research Interest: Digital Psychology, Computational Social Science, Psychological Threat
Contact: yubin@ajou.ac.kr
Master’s student in Social Psychology at Ajou University, with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Université Paris Nanterre, France. My research interests focus on how social and environmental inequalities shape individuals’ psychological experiences and social relationships. I am particularly interested in how regional and socioeconomic contexts influence social identity, well-being, and perceptions of oneself and others, as well as how these processes may differ across cultural contexts.
Drawing on my experiences living and studying in France and Korea, I hope to examine psychological processes across diverse cultural and societal contexts, with a particular interest in understanding how broader social environments shape individual and intergroup experiences.
Research Interest: Intergroup Relations, Environmental Psychology
Contact: jiyun2@ajou.ac.kr
Master’s student in social psychology at Ajou University. And received a B.A. in Psychology from Jeonnam University. Interested in social categorization, group polarization, and perceived belongingness, particularly in how social identities are expressed in online spaces and shape interpersonal dynamics. More broadly, seeks to understand how to foster the well-being of individuals whose lives diverge from socially prescribed norms.
Research Interest: Social Categorization, Group Polarization, Belongingness
Contact: ha2026@ajou.ac.kr
Master’s student in the AI Psychology track at Ajou University. And received a B.A. in Psychology from Melbourne University. My journey into social psychology began with a simple question, ‘Do the ideologies embedded in society shape the way we think and behave?’ My multicultural and multidisciplinary background has given me a unique perspective to explore this question.
Research Interest: Class stratification, Polarization, Neoliberal ideology, Meritocracy
Contact: danielhaneulhong@ajou.ac.kr
Research Assistants
Undergraduate psychology major student at Ajou University. Interested in individual psychology in the group and culture.
I’m an undergraduate psychology major student at Ajou University. I'm Interested in mental health, the impact of groups on individual’s mental health, and intergroup relations.
Undergraduate psychology major student at Ajou University. Interested in what impacts people's mental and physical health, especially in a social psychological way.
Undergraduate psychology major student at Ajou University. Interested in what people's morality is, what factors change it, and how it affects health.
Undergraduate psychology major student at Ajou Univesity. Interested in how traumatic experiences affect physical and mental health of individuals and communities, and how prosocial behavior shapes interpersonal relationships.
As an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology at Ajou University, I am driven by a deep interest in how social contexts and environmental factors shape individual attitudes and behaviors.
My research interests encompass social identity, prejudice and discrimination, prosociality, and the psychological mechanisms underlying social perfectionism and burnout in modern society.
As a Research Assistant at the SHEI Lab, I am eager to explore the intersections of social relationships, identity, and inequality while growing into a thoughtful and rigorous researcher. Above all, I aim to combine rigorous academic inquiry with a warm, caring heart—growing into an empathetic researcher who truly connects with others.
Undergraduate psychology major student at Ajou University. Interested in the relationship between physical and mental aspects of human.
I am an undergraduate psychology student at Georgia State University.
Valeria is an undergraduate Student at Freie Universität Berlin. She majors in Social and Cultural Anthropology & Political Science.
Ongoing Independent Project with Post-undergraduate Students
Riley is working on a research project with Dr. Park and Yubin: "A New Era: Psychological Threat Associated with Taylor Swift and the NFL"
Michael is working on a research project with Dr. Park: Conducting Project on "Effectiveness of Coping Mechanisms in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients"
Former/Currently Inactive Research Assistants
Ajou University
정예헌
서지예
송유진
이혜연
강다현
Raha Shogi
배영주 (아주대학교)
이정민 (Northeastern University)
Connecticut College
Elena Crowell
Emily Nelson
Eunseo Han
Michael McCullom
Sebastian Parilov
Isabella Kinney
Panagiota Tsiali
Patricia Berrouet
Abby Ferland
Brian MacSweeney (Independent Study)
Ola Szczesny (Independent Study)