We welcome lab members with diverse perspectives and backgrounds who share our goal of advancing knowledge that helps people and institutions flourish.
Principle Investigators
Cameron A. Hecht, Ph.D
Founder and Co-Director
Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Rochester
He/Him
cameron.hecht@rochester.edu
Cameron A. Hecht is the founder and Co-Director of the Human Behavior and Social Change Lab. He is a social psychologist whose research bridges laboratory and field methods to understand how beliefs and environments shape motivation, equity, and well-being, and to design interventions that create positive change in real-world settings. Cameron earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Christopher J. Bryan, Ph.D
Co-Director
Associate Professor of Business, Government, and Society, The University of Texas at Austin
He/Him
christopher.bryan@mccombs.utexas.edu
Christopher J. Bryan is the Co-Director of the Human Behavior and Social Change Lab. He is a social psychologist based in the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. His primary interest is in the psychology of persuasion and influence with a focus on designing and evaluating novel behavioral interventions that shift people’s attitudes and behavior in ways that benefit them, their communities, and the broader society. Chris earned his Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford University in 2009.
Current Graduate Students
Luca Pieretti
Ph.D Student
She/Her
lpierett@ur.rochester.edu
Luca Pieretti is a second-year Ph.D. student in the HBSC Lab at the University of Rochester. Her research interests include exploring the dynamics of mentoring relationships and developing social-psychological interventions to change how individuals approach, experience, and navigate these relationships as well as other social environments and life transitions (e.g., to/from school, the workplace, etc.). She is also interested in integrating large language models (LLMs) into the design of laboratory experiments and social psychological interventions.
Tanner Phillips
Ph.D Student
He/Him
tphill15@ur.rochester.edu
Tanner Phillips is a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Rochester. His research interests focus on promoting motivational beliefs and processes that help people overcome psychological and societal barriers to success. In the Human Behavior & Social Change Lab, he is interested in integrating large language models into the design of social psychological interventions that help inform theory and promote equitable outcomes.
Julia Brennan
Ph.D Student
She/Her
jbrenn15@u.rochester.edu
Julia is a first-year Ph.D. student in the HBSC Lab at the University of Rochester. Her research explores close relationships and social connection, focusing on developing social-psychological interventions that change how people appraise and approach their interpersonal relationships. Her work incorporates mixed methodology, including laboratory experiments, psychophysiological measures, and daily diary paradigms.
Post-Baccalaureate Staff
Anh H. Vu
HBSC Lab Manager
They/Them
anh.vu@rochester.edu
Anh’s research interests involve the marriage of two broad topics: 1) the study of our close relationships as they relate to our development and well-being, and 2) the study of how human beings interact with media, entertainment, and the ever-evolving digital world. Using theories of attachment, perceived responsiveness, and motivation, they seek to develop social-behavioral interventions that make use of technology and media to improve individual well-being, promote healthy relationships, and produce societal change.
Alexis M. Chen
Research Assistant
She/her
achen92@u.rochester.edu
Alexis Chen is a Human Subject Research Specialist in the HBSC Lab at the University of Rochester. She is interested in investigating how social-psychological principles can be applied for effective public health interventions. She aspires to contribute to the designing, testing, and implementing of such interventions for health challenges across community levels.