Dr. Stephanie Fryberg

Dr. Stephanie A. Fryberg is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan. As a social and cultural psychologist, her primary research interests focus on how social representations of race, culture, and social class influence the development of self, psychological well-being, physical health, and educational attainment.
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​Dr. Fryberg provided testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs regarding the impact of racist stereotypes on Indigenous people, served as an expert witness in the Keepseagle v. USDA class action lawsuit, and consults with National Tribal TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).  She also received the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Louise Kidder Early Career Award, the University of Arizona Five Star Faculty Award, and in 2011 was inducted into the Multicultural Alumni Hall of Fame at Stanford University.

Contact Professor Fryberg: fryberg@umich.edu | Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Laura Brady

Laura Brady is a research scientist in the Culture Collaboratory. She received her B.A. in Psychology with minors in Gender and Women’s Studies and Professional Writing from DePaul University in 2011. In 2016, Laura completed her doctoral studies in Psychology at the University of Washington where she earned a Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology.

Broadly, Laura is interested in understanding issues of race, gender, social class, and education through the lens of culture. She is particularly drawn to research that seeks to solve real world problems of inequality and injustice, and much of her research is driven by a desire to use social psychology to make positive social change. Her dissertation examined how first-generation college students navigate competing cultural expectations and norms coming from their working-class families and middle-class universities and whether these students engage in cultural frame switching as they move between social class contexts.  As a research scientist, she is working on a project examining whether growth mindset interventions can be more efficacious in reducing racial and social class academic achievement gaps by working to change classroom cultures rather than targeting individual students.

When she is not working in the lab, Laura can usually be found experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. Some of her favorite recent culinary discoveries include strawberry chia seed jam, dutch oven bread, and caramelized peach pancakes.

​Contact Laura: ​lbra@umich.edu

Dr. Arianne Eason

Dr. Arianne Eason is an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley’s Department of Psychology. She is part of the Developmental and Social-Personality area. Her work focuses on Racial Segregation and Same-Race Preferences, Bias towards Native Americans, and Perceptions of Resource Possession and Allocations in Infancy.

Visit her Faculty Page here.

Dr. Cong Wang

Contact Cong Wang: cowang@umich.edu

See Cong Wang’s website: https://www.congviviwang.com

Imani Burris

Imani Burris currently works with Dr. Stephanie Fryberg. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara in 2017. As an undergraduate, Imani conducted research under the guidance of Dr. Heejung Kim and the McNair Scholars Program from 2015-2017. He then attended the University of Washington where he began working toward a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from 2017-2019. Now at the University of Michigan, Imani is excited to work with students from diverse backgrounds in impacting social change! His primary lines of research seek to understand the different ways that people make meaning of their ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and life adversity (e.g., bereavement, mental health). Imani’s research also aims to promote cultural inclusive classroom environments by designing interventions that reduce the achievement gap between underrepresented (i.e., racial minority, working-class) students and their White and middle-class counterparts. Aside from his work in the lab, Imani enjoys traveling abroad, listening to and creating music, and cheering for the best sports teams in the world – San Fran 49ers, Miami Heat and U-Mich Football (Go Blue!).

Contact Imani: imanimb@umich.edu

Doris Dai

Doris Dai is a Social and Personality Doctoral Student at the University of Washington’s Department of Psychology. She works with Stephanie Fryberg and Cynthia Levine (University of Washington).

Contact Doris: daij9412@uw.edu

Julisa Lopez

Julisa Lopez is a first generation student. She is originally from Madera, CA and received her B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz in 2018. Her research interest broadly include culture matching, social representations, and educational attainment of underrepresented students, particularly among Native populations. More specifically, she explores how representations in the university shape the experiences (e.g., well-being, academic achievement) of students with marginalized identities (e.g., gender, race, social class). Julisa’s research aims to support and retain underserved students by developing theory-based interventions that reshape positive representations. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, and spending time with her family.

Contact Julisa: jujlopez@umich.edu

Jamie Yellowtail

Jamie Yellowtail is a 3rd year PhD Candidate from Wyola, MT. A first generation college student, she received her B.A. in International Studies- Global Economic Systems and B.S. in Psychology from the University of Wyoming. She obtained her M.S. in Psychology from the University of Oregon in 2020 under the guidance of Dr. Gerard Saucier. Her research interests broadly include intergroup processes, understanding bias and discrimination towards Native people. Specifically, her work aims to understand societal attitudes and beliefs that exacerbate sexual violence towards Native women. Future work will focus on the development of theory based interventions to reduce sexual violence and non-Native violence perpetration. In her free time, she enjoys working out, anything outdoors, traveling to new places, and spending time with her pup, Little Bill. 

Contact Jamie: jyellowt@umich.edu

Jenny Yang

Jenny Yang was a Research Area Specialist Intermediate for the Culture Collaboratory at the University of Michigan. Today, she is a Graduate Student at Stanford University. Her research interests include Culture and Achievement Motivation.

Contact Jenny: jyifang@umich.edu

Andy Pinedo

Andy Pinedo is a graduate student in the Combined Program in Education and Psychology (CPEP).

Contact Andy: anpinedo@umich.edu

Ariana Munoz-Salgado

Ariana Munoz-Salgado is a graduate student in the Social Area.

Contact Ariana: arianas@umich.edu

Kate Morman

Kate is a graduate student in the Combined Program in Education and Psychology (CPEP).

Hannah Ramil

Hannah Ramil is a first year graduate student for the Culture Collaboratory at the University of Michigan. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida State University with her B.S. in Psychology. Broadly, she is interested in the ways in which cultural processes influence moral and political processes. In her free time she enjoys listening to podcasts and the sweet sounds of Frank Ocean.

Contact Hannah: hframil@umich.edu

Hailey Shangin

Hailey Shangin is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychology’s Social Area. She is originally from Alaska and received her B.A. in Psychology and B.A. in Behavioral Decision Sciences from Brown University in 2022. Her research interest broadly focuses on how perceptions of inequality are formed, sustained, and perpetuated. The underlying goal of her research aims to further understand the mechanisms of inequality to better support interventions and accessibility for minoritized groups including Indigenous people.

Anana Smutz

Alana Smutz is a first-year graduate student in the Culture Collaboratory. She is originally from Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, but primarily grew up in the Pacific Northwest where she received her B.S. in Psychology from Western Washington University. Alana is broadly interested in researching
how cultural practices, land, and place influence the development of self, identity, health, and well-being, particularly among Native populations. In her free time, she enjoys going on long hikes and spending time with her family and friends.

Priscilla Diaz-Gonzalez

Priscilla Diaz-Gonzalez is a first-generation college student who graduated from UC Santa Barbara with her B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences. She is currently a Research Area Specialist for the Culture Collaboratory at the University of Michigan. Priscilla is interested in researching how experiencing a cultural mismatch influences first-generation college students’ sense of belonging, motivation, and cultural fit at universities. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, watching the sunset, and spending time with her loved ones.

Contact Priscilla: pdiazg@umich.edu

Current Research Assistants

Serina J.

Syeda M.

Austin C.

Alice D.

Nicole T.

Caroline C.

Qingqing O.

Lab Alumni

Natalie A. (RA – UofM)

Giovanna B. (RA – UofM)

Camilla C. (RA – UofM)

Aber John E. (RA & Honors Student- UofM)

Haley H. (RA – UofM)

Elizabeth J. (RA – UofM)

Zoe O. (RA – UofM)

Diane R. (RA – UofM)

Marivi S. (RA – UofM)

Ruby Z. (RA – UofM)

Suyi L. (RA & Honors Student – UW)

Abigail L. (RA – UW)

Cindy T. (RA – UW)

Ardini B. (RA – UW)

Aki E-S. (Summer Research Intern – UW)

Annie K. (Summer Research Intern – UW)

Grace K. (RA – UW)

Tim C. (RA – UW)

Ming G. (RA-UW)

Jelwyn A. (RA-UW)

Taylor C. (RA)

Allyson D. (RA)

Rima R. (RA)

High School Interns (2021)

Jasmine W.

Anna Z.

Shravya G.