SOCIAL CONNECTION & POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY LAB
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Katherine Nelson-Coffey, Ph.D

Lab Director

​Katherine Nelson-Coffey is an Associate Professor of Psychology in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Arizona State University. She earned her bachelor's of science in Psychology from the University of Mary Washington in 2008 and her Ph.D. in 2015 from the University of California, Riverside, where she studied personality and social psychology with Sonja Lyubomirsky. She is passionate about using psychological science to improve the lives of parents and families. She also loves spending time with her family, reading, and traveling. 
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Alexandra Black, Ph.D. 
Postdoctoral Scholar 

Alexandra Black is a postdoctoral research scholar at Arizona State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Social-Personality Psychology with a Quantitative Focus from the University of Rochester in 2022 and her B.S. in Psychology from The Ohio State University. She is interested in examining how an individual's perceptions of their romantic partner 's behaviors during threatening experiences influence feelings of relationship security. Her research seeks to identify the specific routes that promote security for anxious partners when alternative threat activates their attachment fears. Recently, her work has shifted to examining longer-term shifts in attachment security during the transition to parenthood. She also has a passion for teaching statistics at both an undergraduate and graduate level. 


​​Haruka Oshika
Graduate Student 

Haruka Oshika is a MS Psychology student at Arizona State University. She obtained her B.A. in liberal arts from Soka University of America in 2023. Her research interests lie in the realm of positive psychology, social psychology, and developmental psychology. Specifically, she is interested in education's potential to enhance children's happiness. Outside of her academic pursuits, she enjoys throwing clay. 






​Kayla Stevenson 
Graduate Student

Kayla Stevenson is a MS Psychology student working with Dr. Nelson-Coffey at Arizona State University. She earned her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in 2022. She is interested in the intersection of close relationships, positive psychology, and health. In her free time, you can find her playing with her puppy, reading, and working out.
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Emilia Berkes
Graduate Student

Emilia Berkes is a M.S. Psychology student at Arizona State University. She also obtained her B.S. in Psychology from ASU in Fall 2023. Her research interests lie at the intersection of positive psychology, social psychology, and clinical psychology. More specifically, she is interested in the development of intervention programs that promote resilience and greater well-being in parents and their children.  
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Marlene Carrasco Lechuga
Graduate Student 
Marlene Carrasco Lechuga is a M.S. Psychology student at Arizona State University. She earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from ASU in 2024. Her research interests include social psychology and close relationships. Beyond research, she enjoys drawing, reading, and listening to music. 
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Zainab Nazir 
Graduate Student 
Zainab Nazir is a second-year M.S. Psychology student at Arizona State University. Her research interests lie in I/O psychology, specifically employee well-being and reducing burnout through social support. Outside of her academic interests, she enjoys reading books and doing henna! 
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Jenny Varajas
Undergraduate Research Assistant 

Jenny Varajas is an undergraduate student finishing her B.A. Positive Psychology at Arizona State University in Spring 2025 and hopes to enter the M.S. Psychology program in Fall 2025. She is interested in the intersection of cross-cultural positive psychology. Outside of academia, she is a yoga instructor, behavioral health technician, and acrobat.  
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Nisar Majeed
Postbaccalaureate Research Assistant 
Nisar earned his degree in psychology from ASU. His research interest broadly is in positive psychology, with a focus on alcohol and substance use disorder and non-abstinence based treatment. He is also interested in the gut-brain axis and how it might affect treatment outcomes. He hopes to apply to a master's program, with the aim of pursuing a Clinical Psychology PhD in the future. In his free time, he enjoys drawing and painting. 
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Jocelyn Carlos-Romero 
Undergraduate Research Assistant 

Jocelyn Carlos-Romero is an undergraduate student finishing her B.S. in Psychology at Arizona State University in Spring 2025. Her research interests include the intersection of developmental and positive psychology, particularly focusing on how relational experiences shape long-term emotional development and improve emotional well-being through positive psychology interventions. In her free time, you can find her video gaming, cooking, or baking. 

Alumni

Tina Vuong, ASU '24, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Copyright © 2024 Katherine Nelson-Coffey
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