Who We Are
Meet The Team
Kristin Naragon-Gainey
Director, Emotional Wellbeing Lab
Kristin is an Associate Professor at the School of Psychological Science at UWA, and a registered clinical psychologist in the United States. Her research and clinical work focuses on affective processes as they relate to depression, anxiety, and wellbeing, and much of her recent research incorporates heart rate variability to examine emotion regulation and mindfulness in daily life. She is also interested in assessment, multivariate statistical analysis, and ecological momentary assessment designs. Prior to joining UWA, Kristin was an Assistant and then Associate Professor of Psychology at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, from 2013-2020. Kristin completed her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Iowa, followed by a clinical internship year at the Seattle Veterans Administration Medical Center and a postdoctoral position at Boston University. Kristin’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, and she has received early career awards from the American Psychological Society, American Psychological Association, and the Society for Research in Psychopathology. She is active as a reviewer and editor, serving as an Associate Editor for Psychological Assessment and Self and Identity and on the editorial boards of several journals.
Samara Davidson
Research Coordinator
Samara completed her Bachelor of Psychology (First Class Honours) at Curtin University in 2020 and is currently completing her Masters of Clinical Psychology in pursuit of full registration as a psychologist. Her Honours thesis investigated the relationship between emotional reactivity and non-suicidal self-injury, and the roles of experiential avoidance and alexithymia. Samara has experience working with neurodevelopmental conditions (namely Autism and ADHD) with children and adolescent populations.
Indijah Bullman
Research Coordinator
Indijah completed her Bachelor of Psychology with Honours at Curtin University in 2017. After graduating, she completed the 4+2 Psychology Pathway to become a fully registered AHPRA psychologist. Indijah works part-time as as a practicing psychologist, in both intervention and assessment, and part-time with the Emotional Wellbeing lab. Indijah's goal is to synergise self-compassion with an awareness for helpful change processes and in both a research and clinical capacity, views emotional regulation as central to this goal.
Tanika Sgherza
PhD Candidate, UWA
Tanika is a PhD Candidate at the University of Western Australia, under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Gainey and A/Prof Rodrigo Becerra. Her PhD focuses on how to promote wellbeing for people with psychological symptoms, and aims to investigate clinically relevant factors that impact the association between anxiety, depression and wellbeing. This reflects Tanika’s interests in mental health and wellbeing research. Tanika previously worked as Research Coordinator of the Emotion Wellbeing Lab (2020-2022), and achieved a Bachelor of Science with first class Honours in Psychology from the University of Western Australia in 2020.
Ali Amini Tehrani
PhD Candidate, UWA
Ali is a Psychological Science PhD student under the supervision of Assoc/Prof Kristin Gainey. The overarching focus on his project is childhood emotional abuse and its impact on emotion regulation trajectories underlying transdiagnostic psychopathology. His short research and practice experience has encouraged him to put life concerns at the heart of his scientific endeavors, where daily life is the very context where reality unfolds. As such, he adopts a developmental and life history perspective bridging childhood experiences to mental health in adulthood.
Jackson Mason-Stephens
PhD Student, UWA
Jackson is a PhD student under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Gainey and A/Prof Rodrigo Becerra. His PhD research is focused on decentering – a facet of mindfulness that involves taking an observer perspective of internal emotional experiences. Jackson’s research aims to investigate (mal)adaptive applications of decentering in the context of negative and positive emotional states, reflecting his passion for applied mental health and wellbeing research. Jackson holds a Bachelor of Psychology degree from Flinders University where he graduated with first class honours in 2022.
Jayden Lucas
PhD Student, UWA
Jayden is a PhD student under the supervision of Dr Kristin Gainey and Dr Rodrigo Becerra. His research focuses on understanding how psychological flexibility in the context of persistent pain can lead to better well-being in daily life. Jayden completed his honours in psychology at the University of Western Australia in 2022.
Lisa Christensen
Undergraduate Psychology Student, UWA
Lisa is a Psychology Honours at UWA. Her goal is to pursue a Masters in Psychology in 2026, in pursuit of full registration as a psychologist. Her Honours dissertation focuses on decentering and mindfulness, reflecting her broader interest in mental health and evidence-based therapeutic approaches. Lisa is passionate about helping people and contributing to the field of psychology through both research and practice.
Jocelyn Kwan
PhD and Master of Clinical Psychology Candidate, UWA
Joycelyn is a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Clinical Psychology candidate at UWA. She is conducting her PhD research under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Gainey and Dr. Michael Kyron. Her research examines the relationship between psychological flexibility and suicidal ideation, exploring how psychological flexibility can reduce suicide risk in clinical populations. Joycelyn completed her Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology (Honours) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2022.
Tony Pham
Psychology Undergraduate Student, Curtin University
Tony is a third year psychology student at Curtin University. His goal is to complete his Honours and subsequently pursue a Masters in psychology, with view to becoming a fully registered AHPRA psychologist. Tony has experience working in the disability sector with individuals who have high support needs (namely Autism) and also has experience offering digital crisis support through his volunteering at LifeLine W.A.
Jonathon Jarman
Honours Student
Jonathon is currently completing his honours in psychology at the University of Western Australia under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Gainey. His research focuses on the impact of experiencing negative affect on people’s ability to regulate their emotions and exercise self-control. As part of his role, he also assists with the research of the Emotions in Motion study.
Masayuki Tsujimoto
Visiting Research Student
Masayuki is a Visiting Research Student at the Emotional Wellbeing Lab. He is a PhD student at Tohoku University, Japan under the supervision of Prof Ryuta Kawashima. His PhD focuses on the neural mechanism of emotion regulation and how emotion regulation promotes people's well-being and health. He is currently studying the experience sampling method and psychophysiological measures, and conducting research on the relationship between emotion regulation measured in daily life and emotion regulation assessed in the laboratory under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Gainey at the University of Western Australia.
Dylan Bremmer
Research Assistant
Dylan is a Research Assistant at the Emotional Wellbeing Lab, primarily contributing to the FEEL study. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Naragon-Gainey and A/Prof Rodrigo Becerra. The focus of his PhD project is the relationship between mindfulness and emotional processing and its potential role in reducing symptoms of anxiety, as well as the potential clinical applications of meditation. Dylan holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology from the University of Western Australia.
Henry Austin
Henry is a Research Associate contributing to the FEEL study. Henry undertook a PhD focusing on the interplay between emotion, cognition and alcohol consumption at the University of Western Australia & University of Amsterdam, jointly. Henry is also a practising Clinical Psychology Registrar with experience in private and public health settings. His clinical and research interests focus on the connections between emotional pathologies and other health problems, including sleep, persistent pain, and addictions. Henry holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Psychology, and a Master of Clinical Psychology from the University of Western Australia. Henry is passionate about improving the wellbeing of others through research, clinical practice, and teaching.
Irene Mateo Arriero
Irene is a Research Assistant in our lab. Her research and clinical interests centre around improving the wellbeing of young people and their families. The focus of her PhD project is the understanding of disclosure decisions in parents of children with ADHD. She has previously worked as a research officer on the Western Australian Coronial Suicide Information System project. Irene holds a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Psychology from the University of Western Australia, where she is currently completing her Master of Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Philosophy.
Olivia Kingsley
Olivia is a volunteer in our lab and a former honours student at the University of Western Australia, under the supervision of Associate Professor Kristin Naragon-Gainey and Professor Simon Farrell. Her honours project focused on examining how a recent measure of emotion regulation flexibility (FREE scale) relates to emotional experiences in daily life. More broadly, Olivia is interested in understanding the complex role of emotion in psychological functioning and hopes to pursue a Master of Clinical Psychology. Olivia holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia, with a double major in psychology.
Euan Lloyd
Euan is a volunteer in our lab and a former honours student at the University of Western Australia, under the supervision of Associate Professor Kristin Naragon-Gainey and Associate Professor Rodrigo Becerra. He investigated how the dynamics of positive and negative emotions over time relate to various internalising disorders such as depression and anxiety. Euan is interested in research on cognition and emotional functioning as well as research with clinical applications. Euan holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia, with a double major in psychology.
Michelle Teo
Michelle is a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia under the supervision of A/Prof Rodrigo Becerra and co-supervised by A/Prof Kristin Naragon-Gainey. Her research interests focus on the role of mindfulness on the improvement of depressive symptoms. Specifically, she is interested in the efficacy of mindfulness meditation; a home-based mindfulness practice. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science (Physiology and Neuroscience), a Psychology Diploma and a Honours Degree in Psychology from UWA.
Karuna Nair
Karuna is an honours student at the Emotional Wellbeing Lab, under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Naragon-Gainey. Her honours project focuses on the role of emotional awareness in people's ability to accurately judge their own emotion regulation skills. More broadly, Karuna's research interests include clinical and social applications of psychology, with a special focus on helping marginalised groups. Karuna is currently completing the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) Program at the University of Western Australia, with a double major in psychology.
Jasmine Laing
Jasmine is an honours student at the Emotional Wellbeing Lab. Under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Naragon-Gainey, Jasmine’s honours project focusses on the relationship between COVID-19 impact and worry, and individuals’ subsequent symptoms of depression and anxiety, and whether emotion regulation plays a moderating role in influencing the strength of this relationship. She is interested in positive psychology and the promotion of wellbeing through creating a fulfilling and meaningful life. Additionally, Jasmine is passionate about mental health advocacy and equity. She holds a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Psychology from the University of Western Australia.
Ashleigh Bell
Ashleigh is an honours student at the Emotional Wellbeing Lab. Under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Naragon-Gainey, she is investigating how decentering, a component of mindfulness, and meditation experience predict an individual’s ability to regulate their emotions. She is also assessing the validity of a new portable measure of heart rate variability, the Empatica wristband. As a whole, Ashleigh is interested in the role emotion regulation plays in mental health and wellbeing. Ashleigh holds a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Psychology from the University of Western Australia.
Michael Kyron
Michael is a Research Associate on the FEEL Study, and currently holds appointments at the University of Western Australia and Curtin University. Michael completed his PhD at UWA, which focused on methods to improve prediction and prevention of self-harm in clinical settings. In in his post-doctoral roles he worked on the first national survey of emergency services personnel in Australia with the Graduate School of Education at UWA, and a randomized controlled trial of an imagery-enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy for social anxiety disorder at Curtin University. Michael’s primary interest is in using intensive psychological and physiological data to determine which factors are capable of bolstering resilience and wellbeing, and treating mental ill-health.
LAB ALUMNI
Stephanie Lu
Lab Alumni
Michael Kyron
Lab Alumni
Michael is Post-doctoral researcher and Lecturer with the School of Psychological Science at the University of Western Australia. He is also the Business Support Manager with the Suicide Prevention and Resilience Research Centre (SPARRC).
Dr. Henry Austin
Lab Alumni
Henry is a Clinical Psychologist holding positions at Canopy Clinical Psychology and Fiona Stanley Hospital. He completed a joint PhD on the relationship between emotional difficulties and alcohol use at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and University of Amsterdam (UvA). Henry is an active researcher in areas of psychological science and an occasional Lecturer at UWA.
pREVIOUS CONTRIBUTORS
Our collaborators
Through the Years
EWL 2022
EWL 2021
EWL 2020
