Lab Director

Lydia Emery

Dr. Lydia Emery is an Assistant Professor in Psychology in the social psychology area at the University of Chicago. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Northwestern University and her B.A. in Psychology and English from Haverford College, and she completed postdoctoral training in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Her research broadly examines romantic relationships, social class, and identity. She studies how social class influences both the challenges and strengths that people bring to their closest relationships. She also examines how relationships shape people’s identities, both individually and as a couple, as well as how people’s identities affect their relationship experiences. Click here for a copy of her CV.

Ph.D. Students

Primary Advisees

Mystie Saturday

Mystie Saturday is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Social Psychology program at the University of Chicago. Originally from the southeastern US, she graduated from Emory University in 2022 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. After graduating, she became a Chicago transplant, where she worked as a full-time research assistant at Northwestern University.

Her doctoral research broadly investigates the social underpinnings of identity development, with a particular interest in how close relationships (platonic, romantic, and familial), social identities (e.g., race, sexuality, socioeconomic background) and storytelling influence how we understand ourselves. In her ongoing projects, she seeks to understand how definitions of and expectations for relationships of all kinds differ across sociodemographic factors, and the role that storytelling plays in shaping who we are in our relationships. Click here for a copy of her CV.

Elijah Green-Longaberger

Elijah Green-Longaberger is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Social Psychology program at the University of Chicago. Elijah received their M.S. in Experimental Psychology from Villanova University and their B.S. in Psychology from Oklahoma State University.

Their doctoral research focuses on bridging the fields of intergroup relations and relationship science through investigating how individuals of different social identities interact and form close bonds. They are interested in how possessing a different identity from one’s partner may influence perceptions and behavior, both within one’s relationship and as a couple in the social world. They are also interested in marginalized identities on the relational level (e.g. interracial relationships, same-gender relationships) and how these relationships compare to traditionally studied couples. Click here for a copy of their CV.

Affiliated PhD Students

Jadyn Park

PhD student with the Computational Affective and Social Neuroscience Lab

Jadyn is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Computational Cognitive Neuroscience program. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology in 2020. Following graduation, she worked as a full-time research assistant at Northwestern University, where she studied executive functioning in individuals with psychosis-risk and internalizing disorders. Jadyn is broadly interested in the neural mechanisms underlying emotion/emotion regulation and how they shape our memory. She is also interested in how these processes unfold in social contexts.

Sabina Raja

PhD student with the Social Psychophysiology & Neuroendocrinology Lab

Sabina is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Integrative Neuroscience program. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Molecular & Cellular Biology/Behavioral Neuroscience (with a minor in Chemistry) in 2018. After graduation, she worked as a lab manager in the CLEAR Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Medical School, where she studied cyclical predictors of suicidal thought & behaviors. Sabina’s dissertation work primarily focuses on the joint influence of affective/physiological states and face-based impressions on downstream social cognition & behavior. She also collaborates on projects exploring autonomic nervous system responses to appetitive and aversive olfactory stimuli.

Elizabeth Janey

PhD student with the Environmental Neuroscience Lab

Elizabeth is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Social Psychology program. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.S. in Psychology in 2021. Following graduation, she worked as a full-time lab manager at the University of Chicago. Elizabeth is broadly interested in how physical spaces interact with group identities and shape experiences and behavior, how natural environments benefit our well-being, and how Whiteness can undermine belonging in public spaces.

Maya Ingram

PhD Student with the Oishi Lab

Maya is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Social Psychology program. She graduated from Yale in 2023 where she studied English and Russian. Pivoting to psychology, she worked as a lab manager at Yale University and then at the University of Chicago. Maya is interested in how people have conceptualized a good life across time and cultures. She hopes to further investigate the underpinnings of well-being, and is especially interested in the impact our relationships have on well-being.

Masters’ Students and Research Assistants

Artur Procopio Burian Breternitz

Artur is a B.A./M.A. student at the University of Chicago, receiving his Bachelor's in Psychology with a Statistics minor and Master's in Social Sciences with a Psychology concentration through MAPSS. In addition to working with the CEDAR Lab, he works in the Goldin-Meadow and EAST labs at the University as a research assistant, contributing to work on linguistics and developmental psychology. Artur is interested in cultural influences on social relationship development, and how cultural values work with socioeconomic contexts to influence attachment in immigrant communities.

Raquel Buriani

Raquel received her B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of Chicago in 2025. Prior to collaborating with the CEDAR Lab, she worked in the Development of Social Cognition (DSC) Lab at the University of Chicago from 2023 to 2025 as an undergraduate research assistant. Currently, she is working as a full-time lab manager to the Cognitive Development Lab at the University of Chicago. She is interested in improving children's learning and education through play, hands-on learning, and addressing gender, SES, and diversity gaps in early childhood.

Nhi Dao

Nhi Dao is a fourth year undergraduate majoring in Psychology, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Comparative Human Development, and Media Arts and Design. They are interested in studying identity, both in the sense of how individuals come to know themselves and their communities and how identity interacts with modes of oppression. They hope to enter the realm of therapy in order to help people navigate this intersection of identity. In their free time, they like to do fiber arts, read, and play piano.

Dominique Moore

Dominique Moore is a second-year Master’s student in the Crown School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. She received her B.A. in Computer Science from Brown University in 2018. Prior to graduate school, Dominique worked in Trust & Safety and technology, where she conducted research to inform the design of digital products and features to inhibit technology-facilitated abuse. Dominique is broadly interested in the bi-directional relationship between interpersonal relationship dynamics and well-being, particularly within children and family relationships.

Sean Wong

Sean Wong is a third-year undergraduate at UChicago, majoring in Biology and Psychology on the pre-medical track. His academic interests within psychology focus on how attachment style shapes relationship processes and outcomes. Outside the classroom, he volunteers at UChicago Medicine through the TLC program, where he provides support and companionship to patients and families. In his free time, Sean enjoys cooking, playing and listening to music, and working out.