Former Honors Students and Lab Managers
Elina Moreno
Elina Moreno is in her final year as an undergraduate student, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sexuality studies. She has been a research assistant in the Attraction and Close Relationships Lab at UC Davis for the past year. Elina is currently researching the impact of sexual growth and destiny mindset (i.e., the belief that sexual compatibility with a partner can be enhanced over time) on the relationship between sexual satisfaction and self-expansion (i.e., the inclusion of a partner in one’s own self-concept) among diverse sexual relationships for her senior honors thesis. She plans to apply to Ph.D. programs in social psychology next fall to continue researching close relationships and sexuality. In her free time, Elina spends time with her cat, reading, and exploring nature.
Amber Nusser
Amber Nusser was on the UC Davis Division I Women's Equestrian Team where she is a starting rider on the reining squad. She is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Global Studies. Amber served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for an upper-division relationship psychology course for two quarters and is currently working as a research assistant in the Attraction and Romantic Relationships Lab. She is focusing her senior honors thesis on the prevention of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and investigating factors that influence conflict and communication in intimate relationships. She hopes to find affective measures that mediate previously studied factors that contribute to the perpetuation of IPV. Amber is hoping to spend her gap year teaching English in Spain through the Fulbright Program before applying to Sports Psychology graduate programs. Amber is also an avid reader and loves to ski during the winter months.
Hailey Wooten
Hailey Wooten graduated from UCD in spring 2023 majoring in psychology with a minor in education and gender, sexuality, and women’s studies. She was an Undergraduate Research Ambassador for the University Honors Program, part of the Regent Scholar Society, and has been a Research Assistant and Project Coordinator for the Polyamorous Networks Project for the past two years in the Attraction and Close Relationships Lab at UC Davis. She was awarded highest honors for her Undergraduate Honors Thesis, which explores how polyamorous relationship structures (i.e, hierarchical versus non-hierarchical) may influence compersion (i.e., positive emotions like joy that an individual may experience from their partner being intimately involved with another partner). She aims to apply to PhD programs in social psychology and in her spare time, Hailey enjoys crocheting and reading anything non-fiction.
Irene Qin
Irene Qin graduated from UCD in 2022, majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Psychology. She is primarily interested in the validity and mechanism behind Chapman’s Love Languages, and is currently investigating if matching effects exist for love languages and other relationship constructs. She plans to pursue a career in the medical field, and is passionate about the intersection between close relationships, health, and well-being. Irene is currently an Airbnb co-host and enjoys skincare and baking.
Sarah Carpenter
Sarah Wei Carpenter graduated from UCD in 2022, double majoring in Psychology and Chinese Language. Her research interests include consensual non-monogamy, and more specifically, how the inner-workings of a polyamorous relationship can determine relationship satisfaction and levels of jealousy. She plans to continue with relationship research after undergrad, and eventually work with couples in a therapeutic setting. Through her research, she wants everyone to understand that they are deserving and capable of having great relationships. In her free time, Sarah enjoys rock climbing and shopping for fun clothing!
Beyza Arican Dinc
Beyzanur graduated in 2020 from Bogazici University with a BA in Psychology. After competed her MA in Psychology at San Francisco State University in 2022, she joined Dr. Shelly Gable’s lab at UC Santa Barbara in fall 2022 as a PhD student. She has been actively engaged in social psychology research since 2016 and her interests lie at the intersection of emotion regulation and romantic relationships. She has been training as a data scientist and is open to exploring questions in psychology that can be better answered with the applications of modern machine learning approaches. In her free time, she likes gardening and knitting.
Tessa Hansen-Smith
Tessa is a 4th year student at UCD studying Psychology on the pre-Health track. She is especially interesteTessa Hansen-Smithd in the overlap between psychological and biological processes, and is interested in how the relationship quality between medical professionals and patients promotes effective communication, recovery and care. She plans to pursue a career in Nursing, but is also interested in doctoral programs focusing on health, relationships, and well-being. Tessa is also currently a supervisor for the UCD Coffee House in the Memorial Student Union.