2025 Inlight Fellows

Avery Hinchcliffe is a Master’s student in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Her research will focus on interactions among cognitive, behavioural, and emotional symptoms of eating disorders among students. She will examine these symptoms in the context of trait perfectionism. As part of her research, she will engage interested students and student groups throughout the research process and in mobilization of research findings to inform campus policy and practice. Her research aims to develop better understandings of eating disorder symptoms among post-secondary students and to illuminate the potential for intervention targets specific to trait perfectionism, body-related emotions, and lifestyle behaviours on campus. Hinchcliffe is supervised by Dr. Catherine Sabiston.

Noah Khan (he/him) is in the third year of the PhD program in Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. His research focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence and emotions, attempting to understand how sociocultural realities influence the emotional dynamics behind engagements with artificial intelligence. Noah is currently a Massey College Junior Fellow, Victoria College Junior Fellow, and a Results Canada Fellow. He has previously held fellowships at Internet Society and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Youth. Noah was a co-applicant on a project funded by an Inlight Research Development Grant, entitled “Critical Literature Review on Artificial Intelligence Anxiety,” which his current project builds upon. For his research endeavours, Noah has received several awards such as the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Doctoral Award, School of Cities Graduate Fellowship, William Pakenham Fellowship, Centre for Indigenous Educational Research Award, Cornerstone Leadership in Action Graduating Student Award, and more.

Jenny is a third-year PhD student in the Counselling and Clinical Psychology program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She is passionate about the thriving and resilience of people with intersecting identities and experiences, including racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, and disabled and chronically ill post-secondary students. Her master’s thesis explored the lived experiences of bisexual East Asian young adults in Canada, and she has co-authored several articles and book chapters focused on social justice and the mental health of 2SLGBTQIA+ young adults. In her spare time, she enjoys reading fiction, spending time with her dogs, and organizing and attending events for marginalized students. Ultimately, Jenny’s scholarship and clinical practice strive to uplift the stories of people and communities who are under-represented in counselling, psychology, and the social sciences.

Liliana C. Wu is a fourth-year PhD student in psychology at the University of Toronto. Before starting her doctoral studies, Liliana gained valuable research experience at SickKids, where she explored child mental health, specifically focusing on sleep duration and internalizing symptoms. Recently, under the supervision of Dr. Norman Farb, she completed a study on gray matter thickness and relapse vulnerability in depression. As student mental health becomes increasingly important, Liliana’s next steps involve developing personalized, web-based mental health interventions to improve student well-being. In addition to her research, Liliana is actively engaged in the student community. She provides mentorship and advocates for mental health awareness through her roles in BRASA and CUPE Local 3902, contributing to initiatives designed to create more inclusive and supportive mental health systems at UofT. Liliana is dedicated to fostering environments where students can thrive, both academically and emotionally.

Katherine is a Registered Nurse, a PhD student at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, and a Research Trainee at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Her research interests include health care transitions, student mental health, and risk assessment in acute care. Katherine’s doctoral research aims to better understand the experiences and needs of post-secondary students accessing inpatient mental health services.

Prisca Obierefu is currently a PhD Candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She is engaged in quantitative research on the measurement invariance of psychological assessments in racialized and non-racialized Black groups. Prisca works closely with her supervisor to advance research in the field of racial discrimination, mental health and psychopathology, with a specific focus on Black racialization. Her research highlights the importance of inclusive practices, including the use of validated psychological assessments such as the MMPI-3 to assess mental health outcomes in Black individuals.

Victoria Parlatore (she/her) is a doctoral student studying Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto where she also earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy. Her research interests include accessibility, student experience in education systems, and lived-experiences of mental health disability. She strives to bring more attention to disabled students’ experiences navigating higher education and together offer insights and suggestions for improvement to inform policy and practice, ultimately fostering more inclusive learning environments for all. Victoria’s graduate research and studies have been generously funded through competitive grants including the: OISE Fellowship, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and presently, the multi-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Award. In addition to her academics Victoria serves on several advisory committees dedicated to improving accessibility, volunteers with Rotary International, and enjoys mindfulness activities.

Sarah is a PhD student in Developmental Psychology and Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Her research examines the mental health of post-secondary students, with a focus on student stress and coping strategies, including self-injury. Sarah is the Lab Manager of the Coping, Affect, and Resilience in Education Lab, overseeing research projects on student mental health and mentoring graduate students. Additionally, she collaborates with researchers from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health to examine the psychological impacts of the pandemic on post-secondary students. As a Research Trainee at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Sarah leads a project evaluating the impact of clinical dashboards on mental health care, collaborating with youth to integrate their perspectives throughout the research process. Her accomplishments have received recognition through the Canadian Psychological Association’s Academic Excellence Award, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the Canada Graduate Scholarship.

Steve 4. Tu (he/him/他) is a SSHRC CGS-D and Digital Research Alliance of Canada-funded PhD student and School of Cities Graduate Fellow at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. His research interests include philosophy and theory of higher education, multispecies ethnography, other-than-human stories, environmental humanities, student mental health, post-qualitative inquiry, research-creation, terror management theory, possibility studies, and anti-Asian racism.

Yasmin is a PhD candidate at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. Her research explores the role of pharmacists in supporting newcomer international students as they transition from the healthcare system in their home countries to the Canadian healthcare system, with a focus on enhancing wellness and improving health outcomes. She holds a master’s degree in Translational Research from UofT where her capstone project addressed psychological stress in patients recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Yasmin is also a foreign-trained pharmacist with professional experience in both community and hospital settings. Her research interests include qualitative research, healthcare services, pharmacy practice, and improving the healthcare experience for newcomers.

Yuchen is a PhD student and lab manager at Dr. Feng Ji’s lab in the Applied Psychology and Human Development department at the University of Toronto. Their primary research interests include utilizing advanced statistical and data analysis methods within the psychology and education field to better understand complex behavior patterns and outcomes, individuals’ mental health, and the development of intervention and prevention policies in psychology and education settings. In addition to exploring innovative methodologies, Yuchen studies eating disorders, addiction, emotion regulation, and cultural dynamics, with an emphasis on youth and adolescent populations. Their work aims to understand how family dynamics, school environments, and cultural backgrounds influence mental health and individual development.

Yitong Zhao is a Ph.D. candidate in Psychology at the University of Toronto. She holds a master’s degree from Wake Forest University and a bachelor’s degree from East China Normal University. Yitong specializes in the study of interpersonal emotion regulation and well-being, and has contributed to several peer-reviewed publications. She is interested in how people manage their emotions and support others during stress. Yitong has served as a teaching assistant for various courses in statistics, emotion, and social psychology and is engaged in supporting undergraduate students’ academic development through individual-oriented mentorship. She has volunteered with marginalized groups in community service and worked as a research assistant at two non-profit well-being institutions: one focused on enhancing post-secondary students’ mental health and the other on improving children’s well-being in low-income communities. Her research and community efforts explore translating psychological findings into practice and promoting well-being across diverse populations.

Being a neurodivergent student and individual, Zoe is deeply passionate about mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. Their work as a clerk and coordinator in SickKids neonatal intensive care unit has provided them with the opportunity to support patients and their families through very difficult times demonstrating to them in a variety of contexts, the importance of mental health and wellbeing. Additionally, Zoe’s volunteer work at Holland Bloorview in the Autism Research Center where they streamlined the transcription and scoring process for the Social Attribution Task, contributing to autism research has provided me with a chance to explore the mental health research space-something they wish to continue through the Inlight Fellowship. Finally, their background in neuroscience and psychology demonstrates my dedication to the field and my desire to be educated and up-to-date on the relevant literature and topics.

Zaiyuan is a third-year Ph.D. student in personality psychology, her research focuses on understanding the personality development and mental wellness of racially minortized university students, specifically how their daily life experiences shape long-term changes in their personality and mental wellness. In addition to research, Zaiyuan has co-led the EDIAI mentorship program in the UTM psychology department connecting underrepresented undergraduate with graduate students, and is also actively involved in various university-wide mentorship programs to support racially minoritized students’ academic success and personal growth.