​Kay obtained her BA in psychology from Barnard College, Columbia University (USA) with a magna cum laude in 2024. She is now pursuing her PhD at HKU under the co-supervision of Dr. Charlene Lam and Prof. Tatia Lee. Prior to joining the lab, she worked as a research assistant for several labs focusing on schizophrenia and ADHD. Her current interests are affective neuroscience and psychopathology. She is broadly passionate about clinical psychology, aiming to identify neurobiological correlates and risk factors to improve people’s resilience in the context of mental health issues.

Mai received her M.A. in Experimental Psychology and her B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology from Brandeis University. Her research interests focus on developmental psychopathology, affective neuroscience, and the psychological and neurobiological effects of early adversity across development. In her first year at HKU, she will contribute to a sleep EEG project. Prior to HKU, she worked as a Research Fellow at both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Harvard University, contributing to projects on childhood adversity, resilience, youth mental health interventions, and cross-cultural emotion regulation. Her work spans neuroimaging, EEG, and advanced statistical modeling.

Sandy is a final-year PhD student investigating how partial sleep deprivation affects eating behaviours in individuals who engage in emotional eating. Her research examines the connections among sleep, emotion regulation, and health behaviours, utilizing both experimental methods and ecological momentary assessment. Prior to her current focus, she contributed to projects on family dynamics, mindfulness, and mental health. Her long-term goal is to apply research findings to develop strategies that enhance well-being.

Aurelia is a second-year PhD student. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Columbia University and subsequently worked at the Center of Excellence for Eating and Weight Disorders at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai before joining HKU. Her research and clinical interests center on women’s mental health, with a particular focus on eating disorders/disordered eating. Her long-term goal is to develop and deliver affordable and accessible interventions for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders and related mental health concerns. Outside of research, she enjoys outdoor activities, creative writing, and baking pastries to share with others.

Lana obtained her MSSc in Clinical Psychology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2013. She is currently pursuing her PsycD in Clinical Psychology at The University of Hong Kong under the supervision of Dr. Charlene Lam. Lana works at Kwai Chung Hospital, where she provides psychological services to adults presenting with a range of psychiatric disorders, with particular exposure to mood and anxiety disorders, PTSD, personality disorders, and complex trauma. Her clinical practice integrates various therapeutic approaches including Schema Therapy and EMDR. Her research interests lie in personality disorders and trauma, with a focus on intervention strategies. Lana is passionate about translating clinical research into practice and is committed to delivering effective, evidence-based care to individuals with severe mental health difficulties, especially in settings with limited resources.

June Tang obtained her Master of Social Science in Clinical Psychology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Psychology degree at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), under the co-supervision of Prof. Charlene Lam and Prof. Tatia Lee. She has over a decade of experience as a clinical psychologist at Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness, and previously served as Officer-in-Charge of Clinical Psychological Services at the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. June now works at Love in Unity – Child Protection Supportive Service, addressing child maltreatment issues in the Yuen Long and Tuen Mun districts. She has received extensive clinical training in complex trauma and crisis intervention, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Bodynamic, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Seeking Safety, Ego State Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In addition, she is a certified mindfulness teacher and focusing trainer.

Vickie is a clinical psychology trainee at HKU. She received her MA in Psychology degree from CUHK after obtaining her BSc in Surveying degree from HKU. Prior to joining the current programme, she has worked as a Research Assistant at the lab, in which she assisted in fear learning and emotion regulation studies. Her current research interest lies in neuropsychological mechanisms underlying emotion regulation difficulties in women with substance abuse.

Winky obtained her MSocSc (Hons) in Psychology from The University of Hong Kong. Since graduation, she has held various positions within the mental health sector, including research assistant in the Department of Psychiatry at HKU and Psychology Assistant at Castle Peak Hospital. She has provided assessments and low-intensity online interventions to a broad spectrum of clients, ranging from adolescents experiencing emotional difficulties to individuals with psychiatric conditions. She is currently undertaking clinical psychology training at HKU. Her research interests include the treatment of anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and trauma.

Rachel received her BSocSc with a major in Psychology from The University of Hong Kong (HKU). She is currently pursuing her studies in clinical psychology at HKU. Under the supervision of Professor Charlene Lam, her dissertation investigates the relationship between ADHD symptoms in mothers and mother-child emotional attachment. Rachel has a keen interest in exploring the interplay between interpersonal relationships and emotional regulation.

Anson graduated from HKU, majoring in Journalism and Psychology, and is currently a Clinical Psychology Trainee at HKU. Upon graduation, he worked as a counsellor, serving secondary school students with ASD and non-refoulement claimants (NRC) in Hong Kong. He also obtained a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy. His research interests include the neurocognitive mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders (i.e., AD/HD and ASD) and anxiety disorders.

Agnes completed her MSc in Developmental Psychology and Clinical Practice at the Anna Freud Centre after obtaining her BSc in Psychology from University College London. Prior to undertaking her clinical psychology training at HKU, she worked with children, young people, and families from diverse cultural, socioeconomic backgrounds across various settings, including a private psychology clinic in Toronto, Canada, and the NHS in the UK. Her research interests lie in trauma and resilience, particularly in understanding how adverse childhood experiences shape developmental trajectories.

Jennifer is a Clinical Psychology trainee at HKU. She first earned her BEng in Information Engineering. After that, she worked in technology companies for a few years. She then completed her MSocSc in Psychology at HKU and worked as a wellbeing practitioner to deliver low-intensity CBT in the community. She has a strong interest in studying cognitive biases and anxiety.

Heidi obtained her BSSc in Psychology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and is currently pursuing her studies in clinical psychology at HKU. Prior to joining the programme, she worked as a project assistant in the Department of APSS at The Polytechnic University on a project aiming to build a mental health chatbot that promotes psychoeducation for the general public. Heidi is interested in learning more about women’s mental health, especially the changes which occur as women step into motherhood.

Heidi is a Senior Research Assistant in the Department of Psychology at HKU. She holds a Master of Social Sciences in in the field of Psychology and a Master of Social Sciences in Mental Health from HKU. Prior to joining the department, she worked as a social worker in community mental health services in Hong Kong. Her research interests include community mental health, the neuropsychological mechanisms of executive functioning across the lifespan, and the development of executive-function interventions.

James received his MSocSc in Psychology with Distinction from CityU, an MSc in Physics from HKUST, and a BSc (Honours) in Computer Science from UBC, where he was awarded the J. Fred Muir Memorial Scholarship in Science. Prior to joining the lab, he pursued a career in global investment banking and financial markets, holding senior technology leadership positions focused on quantitative modeling, algorithm development, and data analytics. He subsequently transitioned to clinical psychological science, bringing an interdisciplinary background spanning psychology, computer science, physics, and quantitative methods to the study of mental health. His research interests focus on fear, anxiety, depression, and related affective processes, evidence-based mental health care, digital health, and the application of computational methods and artificial intelligence to mental health research and service delivery. He aims to develop as a scientist-practitioner and to advance the translation of rigorous empirical research into accessible, effective, and scalable approaches for promoting psychological well-being.

Alex is a research assistant in the Lab. She graduated from University College London with a BSc. in Psychology and Language Sciences, focusing on literacy development in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children. Her current research interests include emotion regulation among women with experience of substance abuse, and novel treatments for anxiety and fear.

Lauren is a recent interdisciplinary studies and psychology graduate at HKU. She co-led a qualitative research project examining the impact of financial stress on Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers. With a strong interest in women’s mental health and neuroimaging, Lauren integrates sociocultural and biological perspectives to explore contemporary psychological issues, bringing a multifaceted lens to her research and analysis.

Ilayda is an exchange student at the University of Hong Kong. She is a third year student from the University of Warwick studying Psychology with Linguistics and Mandarin. She has done research at the University of Warwick on Undergraduate’s Perception on Psychological Research as a career. She is very interested in Clinical Psychology and Behavioural Sciences.