Lab Members

LAB MEMBERS.

Director

Rodica Damian, PhD
Associate Professor and Associate Department Chair

My research program is dedicated to understanding the precursors of career success and well-being, as well as the underlying developmental mechanisms. I have an integrative approach, looking at individual differences, life experiences, and social contexts, and I employ diverse methodologies and statistical techniques. Broad research questions include:

Which personality and social factors contribute to career success, creativity, and well-being across the lifespan?
How do diversifying experiences impact people's personalities and life success?
How can people overcome adversity (e.g., dangerous jobs, natural disasters, trauma) and thrive in their careers and personal lives?
Which factors promote a healthy development across the lifespan?

Google Scholar Profile

Graduate Students

Tingshu Liu

Before UH, I received an M.A. in Positive Developmental Psychology and Evaluation at Claremont Graduate University, where I studied individual differences in creativity and flow. My current research interests lie in understanding how, why, and under what conditions human beings thrive and function optimally—specifically, I investigate the influence of individual differences (e.g., personality traits and gender roles) and life experiences (e.g., adversity) on well-being/health and creativity across the lifespan. Currently, I’m working on projects that study longitudinal well-being changes, everyday creativity and regulatory focus, and antecedents of health behavior (i.e., vaccine uptake).

Cristy Pestilos

Prior to starting my PhD at UH, I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of the Philippines Tacloban College, where I then worked as a psychology instructor. During my time there, I did research on natural disasters, concurrent crises, and resilience. My current research seeks to better understand the underlying mechanisms that enable people to flourish amidst adversity, and how this process is influenced by individual differences and contextual factors. Currently, I am investigating the association between event centrality, coping self-efficacy, and well-being in the context of Hurricane Harvey, one of the most devastating hurricanes in the US.

Anna Snyder

Before starting at UH, I graduated from Xavier University with bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Musical Theatre. My research investigates the adversities faced by creative people and the links between creativity and well-being. At present, I am working on a project concerning the impact of fame on eminent writers' neuroticism.

Lab Alumni

Andreea Sutu, PhD

Andreea received her Phd in July, 2022. Her dissertation title was "The Role of Self-Conscious Emotions in Everyday Creativity: A Daily Diary Study." Soon after graduating, Andreea started a job as an Associate Research Scientist at Educational Testing Service (ETS).

Surizaday Serrano, PhD

Suri received her PhD in July, 2023. Her dissertation title was "The Prospective Effects of Hurricane Exposure and Personality Traits on Physical Health and Health Behaviors."

Cassandra Phetmisy, M.A.

Cassandra obtained her B.S. degree in Psychology (summa cum laude, ranked 1 out of 265 students) in Spring, 2018. While working as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in our lab, Cassandra co-authored a now published journal article titled "Open to laugh: The role of openness to experience in humor production ability". After graduating, she started her PhD at Rice University.