Terri Vescio’s research seeks to understand the factors that facilitate and temper the expression of sexism, racism, and heterosexism. Within that context, Terri is interested in the interplay between the stereotypic behaviors of powerful people and the consequences that those behaviors have for the emotions, motivation, and performance of low power women, gay men, and people of color. She also studies the role of hegemonic masculinity (as a personal identity and cultural ideology) in the maintenance of the status quo via political preferences, use and acceptance of sexual violence, preferences to dominate women, acceptance of violence against people of color.  She is particularly interested in how subtle and hegemonic processes reinforce and maintain the status quo. 

Katsumi Yamaguchi-Pedroza is a dual-title PhD student in Social Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. Katsumi aims to conduct research that addresses social inequalities and can be used to inform and improve lives of people who belong to historically underrepresented groups. By incorporating feminist theories and methodologies with psychological ones, she studies how intersecting forms of prejudice, such as racism and sexism, maintain the status quo. More specifically, Katsumi's current research explores how sexual violence reinforces gender and racial disparities.

Katsumi received her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Gender Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a lab manager at the University of California, Irvine. In her free time, Katsumi enjoys reading, yoga, and trying new recipes!

Katsumi's Google Scholar |Katsumi’s ResearchGate | Katsumi's Bluesky | Katsumi’s Twitter | 

Jude Sullivan is a dual-title PhD student in Social Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Jude incorporates feminist, gerontological, and social psychological perspectives to investigate the experiences of marginalized populations in pursuit of social justice. Specifically, he investigates how various social identities (e.g., race, gender, age, class) interact under systems of oppression to influence how individuals understand themselves, others, and the world around them. Some of Jude’s current research projects examine perceptions of racially diverse gay men as well as men’s discriminatory actions towards outgroup members following gender threats. 

Jude received his B.A. in Psychology and B.S. in Aging Sciences from the University of South Florida before coming to Penn State. Outside of school, Jude enjoys traveling, reading, baking, and spending time with friends and family.

Abigail Loviscky is a dual-title PhD student in Social Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Abigail is broadly interested in identity threats, prejudice, and gender. She is currently examining how gender threats inspire prejudice toward LGBTQ+ identities. She is also working on the development of a framework that examines the differential pathways to prejudice dependent upon whether marginalized identites are visible or invisible. Ultimately, her work aims to explore how prejudice is psychologically motivated by the cultural construction of our identities, in order to develope effective prejudice reduction interventions. 

Abigail received her B.A. in Psychology and her B.A. in Women's Studies from the Pennsylvania State University. During and post-undergrad, she worked as a research assistant and subsequent lab manager for the Gender, Power, and Privilege Lab. She is currently celebrating her fifth year with the GPP lab!

Demet Başar is a dual-title PhD student in Social Psychology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Demet is particularly interested in the consequences of gender inequalities within and across cultures; perceptions of gender-based violence, masculinity threats, and endorsement of honor beliefs. She aims to study cultural norms and practices that perpetuate gender inequalities and gender-based violence. She is also interested in the mechanisms that motivate disadvantaged and marginalized individuals to engage in social change.

Demet received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Psychology from Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey. She worked as a research assistant and lab manager at MEF University in Istanbul before beginning her journey at Penn State. In her master’s thesis, she investigated attitudes towards stalking as a gender-based violence and its relationship with honor endorsement. In her free time, Demet enjoys spending time with her cat, watching movies, and cooking.

Demet's ResearchGate | Demet's Google Scholar | Demet's Twitter | Demet's Bluesky 

Teara Renee is a PhD student in Social Psychology. Teara’s research looks at the influences and impacts of identity based discrimination such as gender discrimination and racism. Specifically in situations with intersecting identities of race and gender. Her current research examines adultification of young Black girls and its impact on perceptions of sexual violence victims. She is also studying the mechanisms in which narratives such as the "Strong Black Woman" further perpetuate the marginalization of Black women. Through exploration of intersectionality and Black experience, Teara aims for her research to promote positive social reform.

Teara received her B.S. in Psychology, B.A in African American Studies, and her certification in Korean language from the Pennsylvania State University. During undergrad, she worked as a research assistant and conducted her honors thesis research project in the Gender, Power, and Privilege Lab. In her free time, Teara loves to read, travel, and take a try at all things creative!