Faculty, Fellows, and Grad Students
Jennifer A. Richeson, PhD
Jennifer A. Richeson is the Philip R. Allen Professor of Psychology at Yale University and Director of SPCL. She received a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Brown University, and both an MA and PhD in social psychology from Harvard University. Prior to joining the Yale faculty in 2016, she was the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University, where she was also a Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research. Through her research & teaching, Professor Richeson seeks to identify ways to create cohesive environments that are also culturally diverse. Outside of lab, Professor Richeson enjoys running about with her dog, Midas, playing most word & card games, but would almost always rather be at the beach.
Hyeonjin Bak, PhD
Hyeonjin is a Postdoctoral Associate in the SPCL. She received her PhD in social psychology from the University of Virginia, working with Dr. Sophie Trawalter, and her BA in psychology from the University of Minnesota. In her research, Hyeonjin seeks to understand why and when people engage in discriminatory behaviors and identify ways to reduce intergroup biases and conflicts. In her free time, she enjoys watching sports and trying out a new cocktail recipe.
[email]
Crystal Shackleford, PhD
Crystal is a Postdoctoral Associate in the SPCL. She received her PhD in social psychology from the New School for Social Research with Dr. Jeremy Ginges. In one line of work, she investigates the role of religion in conflict and cooperation, and the consequences of invoking different conflict narratives. She is also researching the role of inequality in social cohesion and how we can communicate about inequality to promote solidarity and build multiracial coalitions for justice. Outside of work, she enjoys being in nature, animals, reading, and music.
Justice Brown
Justice Brown (she/her) is the lab manager of SPCL and a recent graduate from Yale University, where she received a BA in Psychology and a BA in Ethnicity, Race, & Migration. Justice’s research interests surround the ways in which social inequities are (re)produced by legal and educational policies, how communities of color are impacted by these practices on a psychological level, and what mechanisms can promote healing within these communities. Outside of the lab, Justice is either creating art, walking through the city, or reading.
Xanni Brown
Xanni is a postdoctoral fellow with the Polarization Lab at the University of Pennsylvania and visiting fellow in the SPCL. Her main work explores psychological and behavioral reactions to the prospect of increasing diversity, with a focus on racial group status threat and its downstream consequences. Some of her other work focuses on the impact of racially stereotyped mascots on campus belonging, on confronting biased behavior, and on the consequences for accountability of attributing discriminatory behavior to implicit (vs. explicit) bias. Her non-research interests include campaign finance reform, bicycle touring, and rugby.
[email]
Salem Sulaiman
Salem is a graduate student in the SPCL. He received his BA in psychology and sociology from UC Berkeley in 2022. Salem is broadly interested in research about diversity and intergroup relations; specifically, he is interested in examining reactions to changing racial demographics in the United States, as well as how coalitional attitudes and behaviors form between different minority groups through stigma-based solidarity. Outside of the lab, Salem’s interests include reading, art, and spending time with friends.
Maya Rabinowitz
Maya is a graduate student in the SPCL. She received her BA in psychology from Princeton University in 2022. Broadly, Maya is interested in examining how empowered groups learn to recognize and act against systemic racism, and she is passionate about the translation of intergroup psychology into equitable social policy. Outside of the lab, Maya loves to go on runs and hikes, cook meals with friends, and spend time with dogs.