William S. Ryan, Ph.D.
(Principle Investigator) 

Current Lab Members

Paniz Salehi
(Lab and project Manager)

Paniz (they/she) is a University of Toronto Alumni, majored in Psychology and minored in English and Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health. Their interests lie in the intersection of Clinical, Social and Developmental Psychology, and topics of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), Minority Stress and Resilience, and Wellbeing and Mental Health. Within WISH Lab, Paniz is working on a research project with Dr. Ryan, exploring the efficiency of EDI-informed syllabi within university courses and classrooms from the students' perspective, with a vision to promote inclusive pedagogical practices. Connect with Paniz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/panizsalehi/

Jennifer Yu
(Lab Manager)

Jennifer is completing her final year of study at the University of Toronto, specializing in psychology research. Her passion lies in mental health and the intersection of diverse identities. She joined the WISH Lab as an independent project student, examining the complex interplay between queer identities, resilience, and wellness. In her current role as lab manager, Jennifer continues her research on health and well-being among sexual minorities while supporting the lab’s learning environment by serving as a resource and mentor to junior students.

​​​Chris Wong
​(Independent Project Student)

Chris is a fifth-year undergraduate student in the Psychology Specialist program. His independent research project, supervised by Dr. Ryan in the WISH lab, investigates the motivations for wearing or not wearing gender-affirming gear and its impact on the well-being of transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Aspiring to pursue graduate studies in clinical or counselling psychology, Chris aims to expand his research to address the diverse needs of 2SLGBTQ+ populations, with a focus on enhancing their psychological well-being and quality of life in future clinical and counselling research and practice. In his spare time, Chris enjoys singing, playing the piano, and watching musical theatre—though free time is a rarity at U of T.

​Bruce Zhang
​(Independent Project Student)

Bruce is a fourth-year undergraduate double majoring in Psychology and Biology with a minor in Statistics. His interests lie in psychological and physical well-being, educational methodologies, and the relationship between the environment, communities, and social groups. His future career goals include developing and implementing improved policies and programs within communities to enhance psychological and physical health. At the WISH lab, Bruce's research focuses on investigating how Second-year Learning Communities at the University of Toronto promote student well-being and enhance academic performance by fulfilling basic psychological needs as outlined in the Social Deterministic Theory.

Charm Lee
(Independent Project Student)

Charm is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Psychology Research Specialist program. Her research interest lies in organizational behavior and workplace well-being. She is also passionate about and currently conducting another line of research examining singlehood stigma, identity, and well-being. Outside of the lab, she enjoys exploring new places in the city, making matcha, and watching a good movie or series.

Georgia Roberts
(Volunteer)

Georgia is a second-year university student specializing in psychology with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. She is passionate about exploring how inclusive practices can create more equitable work and school environments. This year, Georgia will be working with the WISH lab as a volunteer research assistant. In her free time, she enjoys reading and baking, which provides a creative balance to her academic and research interests.

Kate Pallett
(Volunteer)

Kate is a second-year Psychology Specialist student at the University of Toronto. She recently joined the WISH lab in September 2024 as a volunteer research assistant. Kate is passionate about clinical psychology, particularly the effects that environmental factors have on mental well-being, and plans to pursue graduate studies in this area. Outside of the lab, Kate enjoys rock climbing and playing video game soundtracks on the piano.

Lucy Jeong 
​(Independent Project Student)

Lucy (she/her) is a fifth-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and Human Biology, with a Business Fundamentals certificate at UofT. Her academic pursuits are centred on exploring human interactions in work environments from a psychological perspective. Specifically, she is interested in investigating employee well-being, organizational culture and climate, and workplace diversity. Her current independent project explores the impact of pay dispersion on employees’ three Basic Psychological Needs, as defined by Self-Determination Theory (SDT).
​

Andy Jiang
​(Independent Project Student)

Andy is an undergraduate student specializing in psychology at the University of Toronto with a passion for improving workplace experiences. His research interests focus on assessments and well-being in the workplace. At the WISH Lab, Andy is conducting an independent project exploring the relationship between work hours and employee well-being, while also investigating potential moderators that influence this relationship.

Sanje Park
​(Volunteer)

Sangje is a second-year undergraduate student who is currently enrolled in the Psychology specialist program and Industrial Relations & Human Resources major program. His scholarly interest covers social, personality, and developmental psychology, economics, human resources, organizational behaviour, and philosophy. Integration of these interest areas drives his academic journey.

---

Interested in Joining?

If you are interested in joining the WISH lab, please read about the current project (below) and the types of tasks you would engage in if selected to work on each project. Then complete this short application form

NOTE: Dr. Ryan will be on sabbatical from July 1st 2025-July 1st 2026 and will not be taking on new undergraduate lab members during this time. As a teaching stream professor Dr. Ryan does NOT supervise graduate students. 

There are MANY excellent students who apply to work in the lab each semester, and unfortunately, we cannot accept everyone who is interested. Nevertheless, we genuinely appreciate the time and effort you put into your application, and we value every student's unique perspective and potential. ​​

---

Lab Alumni (Alphabetic order)

• Mai Kondo 
• ​​Catherine Clarke
• Crystal (Yujing) Zhu​
• ​Dorothy Kwok
• ​​Jun (Tim) Huang
• Aaliyah Mulla 
• ​Adam Klar
• Anastasia Shao 
• Ange Meng  
• ​Annabelle Moore
• ​Anoma Shetty 
• ​Chanel Fu
• Emily Wang
• ​Justine Purcell
• Kohle Handleman-Kerman 
• Leila Farrow 
• ​Maisha Maliyat ​
• Matthew Landon  
• ​Marta Bogacki
• Muntaha Quaid  
• Sai Vipin Nikam  
• Yuhao (Carlos) Wang   
• Yusra Shafi​​