People – Personality Processes and Outcomes Laboratory

Lab Director

Aidan G. C. Wright, PhD

Professor, Department of Psychology
Research Professor of Depression, Phil F. Jenkins, Eisenberg Family Depression Center
University of Michigan

E-mail: aidangcw@umich.edu

CV: download

Aidan Wright is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Research Professor of Depression in the Eisenberg Family Depression Center at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the University of Michigan in 2023, he was a professor in the the Department of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Wright received a PhD in clinical psychology from Penn State University in 2012 and completed his clinical internship at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Subsequently he completed an individual NIMH postdoctoral fellowship at the University at Buffalo in 2013. His work is motivated by understanding how personality and psychopathology are linked, and he is interested in studying participants intensively in their daily lives using ambulatory assessment methods. Dr. Wright primarily teaches graduate courses on advanced quantitative methodology (e.g., Structural Equation Modeling, Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis).

Lab Manager

Christian Clevenger, MA

Email: cclev@umich.edu

Chris graduated from Appalachian State University in 2023 with his M.A. in experimental psychology. His interests broadly cover areas of clinical and social psychological research surrounding topics such as self-esteem, personality, trait judgment, and trauma-related disclosure.

Graduate Students

William C. Woods, MA, MS

PhD Student, Clinical Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

Email: wcw8@pitt.edu

Will is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh. He previously received an M.A. in Social Science from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Psychology and Philosophy from Grand Valley State University. Will is interested in dynamic, idiographic models of psychopathology, particularly as they relate to social influences on the exacerbation and amelioration of mental health symptoms. He is also interested in statistical approaches to idiographic models that allow for the generation of generalizable knowledge about how the social environment impacts psychopathology more generally.

Whitney Wringwald, MSW, MS

PhD Student, Clinical Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

Email: wringwald@pitt.edu

Whitney is a graduate student in the clinical psychology program at the University of Pittsburgh. She received a B.A. in psychology from Marylhurst University, and an M.S.W. from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on linking the structures and processes of psychopathology and personality to understand the full range of psychological functioning.

Sienna Nielsen, MS

PhD Student, Clinical Psychology, University of Michigan

Email: siennarn@umich.edu

Sienna joined the team in 2021 as a clinical psychology doctoral student. Her interest in identity disturbance in borderline personality disorder is influenced by her undergraduate studies in psychology, continental philosophy, and neuroscience. Reach out about her research and the conversation may shift towards the Celtics, Kierkegaard, and/or LOTR.

Janan Mostajabi, BA

PhD Student, Clinical Psychology, University of Michigan

Email: jmost@umich.edu

Janan received a B.A. in Psychology and Film Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She joined the lab in 2022 as a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Program. Janan is interested in using ecological momentary assessment methods to study the dynamic and idiographic nature of impulsivity and emotion regulation and how they relate to internalizing-externalizing psychopathology.

Michaelle Evangeline DiMaggio-Potter, BA

PhD Student, Clinical Psychology, University of Michigan

Email: micheva@umich.edu

Michaelle (she/they) joined the lab in 2024 as a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Program. She obtained her B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University. Michaelle is interested in implementing ambulatory assessment techniques to explore the dynamic interplay between everyday interpersonal challenges and personality pathology, focusing on how these relationships contribute to self-injurious thoughts and behaviors.

Grant King, BA

PhD Student, Clinical Psychology, University of Michigan

Email: grking@umich.edu

Grant received a B.A. in Economics and Linguistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as an M.S. in Analytics from North Carolina State University. Before joining the lab in 2024, his career spanned data science and public health research. His primary research interest is the application of idiographic models of psychopathology to inform scalable, technology-based mental health interventions.

Research Assistants

Katie Maugh, Junior

Katie, a junior majoring in Psychology at the University of Michigan, is passionate about exploring mental health interventions and understanding how life experiences influence the course of psychopathology. After graduation, Katie plans on pursuing a Masters in Social Work. Katie is excited to gain research experience, work with such a wonderful group of people, and learn more about how personality and psychopathology connect.

Jalyn Dubois, Senior

Jalyn is a senior majoring in psychology at U of M. Jalyn’s research interests include externalizing behaviors and how treatment programs can be personalized to best fit the needs of the individual. After graduation, Jalyn plans on pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology and eventually becoming a Forensic Psychologist. Outside of work, Jalyn likes to figure skate, read, and crochet.

Jiayu Lin

Jiayu is an undergraduate student majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is interested in research on personality traits and potential risk factors for developing psychopathology. In the future, Jiayu plans to further study clinical psychology and neuroscience in a PhD program. She is happy to join the lab and gain more insights into personality and life outcomes.