Dr. Mari Kira
I am a faculty member at the Personality and Social Contexts area, the Department of Psychology, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In addition, I am a docent of Organizational Behavior at the Aalto University School of Science, Finland.
I graduated with a PhD at the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. After that, I have worked as a European Commission Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Kassel in Germany, as an Academy Research Fellow at the Aalto University School of Science, Finland, and as a senior researcher at the University of Giessen, Germany.
I explore adult psychological growth that can emerge from struggles with work-related adversities. In addition, I explore the meaning of wellbeing in the context of adversarial life circumstance (e.g., forced displacement) and the strategies and resources that foster people’s wellbeing in such situations.
Email: marikira@umich.edu
Evita Schäfer
I am a second-year student in the Psychology Ph.D. program (Area: Personality & Social Context). Prior to that, I studied at the Universität Regensburg (B.Sc. Psychology) and the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (M.Sc. Psychology) in Germany. I also held Research Assistant positions at both universities, first in the area of General Psychology and later in the area of Organizational Psychology. I gained practical experiences in Organizational Psychology through internships in international companies like BMW and Bosch.
For my graduate research project, I am interested in the construction of positive vocational identities among resettled refugees.
Email: evischae@umich.edu
Karissa Beesley
I am a first-year student in the Psychology Ph.D. program (Area: Personality & Social Context). Originally an entrepreneurship major, I found my interest in business transformed into curiosity towards human behavior within the workplace. I graduated from Utah Valley University (B.S. psychology) and then expanded my studies and research experience at Arizona State University (M.S. psychology). My research interests examine digitalization and creativity in work environments, with an emphasis on employee well-being.
My current research focuses on remote work and employee well-being. Additionally, I am interested in how generative AI may factor into personal and professional identity among visual media artists.
Email: kbeesle@umich.edu
Former Lab Members
Graduate students:
Fatmeh Baidoun
Rouan Salim
Undergraduate students:
Ashley Ke
Manjiang Shen
Salma Habash
Reema Haimour