The Lab

Kristina is a postdoctoral researcher at York University under the supervision of Dr. Amy Muise. She pursued her doctoral studies in Social, Personality, and Abnormal Psychology at the University of Toronto. Kristina is interested in the intersection of positive psychology and relationships research. Specifically, she is interested in how positive states such as awe, gratitude, and love, are linked with relationship quality.

Arik is a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at York University under the supervision of Dr. Amy Muise. He completed his MA and BA in Psychology at York University. His research primarily revolves around interpersonal conceptualizations of sexual motivation, with a specific interest in applying communal and self-determination theories to inform how couples maintain satisfaction and desire. In other research, he is interested in understanding how individuals negotiate and repair their relationships following interpersonal transgressions (i.e., forgiveness, revenge, apology). Outside of research, Arik enjoys spending time with family and friends, obsessing about cats, drinking copious amounts of tea, and watching basketball.

Stephanie is a Ph.D. student at York University under the supervision of Dr. Amy Muise. She completed her M.A. in Social & Personality Psychology at York University and B.A. in Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her research draws on implicit theories of sexual satisfaction to investigate novel questions about how couples can sustain their intimate connections, even in the face of declines in sexual desire. Broadly, Stephanie is interested in how romantic couples maintain their relationship and sexual well-being. Beyond research, Stephanie enjoys baking, cooking, and travelling. For more information about Stephanie’s research, please see her website: https://www.stephraposo.com/

Eric is a PhD student in the Social/Personality Psychology area under the supervision of Dr. Amy Muise. He completed his MA in Social/Personality Psychology at York University and BSc in Psychology/Biology at the University of Toronto – Mississauga. His research interests include understanding the processes people use when deciding who to initiate a relationship with, and how people can maintain these relationships over time. Eric is also interested in improving the way research is conducted by investigating the methodologies researchers use when conducting dyadic analyses and the psychometric properties of commonly used scales in relationship science. Aside from research, Eric enjoys bouldering, snowboarding, playing volleyball, and board game nights. To learn more about Eric's research, please visit www.erictu.ca

Kat is a PhD student of the Social and Personality Psychology Program at York University under the supervision of Dr. Amy Muise. She holds a Masters of Science Degree in Couple & Family Therapy Program from the University of Guelph, an Honours BA Degree in Psychology from York University and a Certificate in Sexuality Studies from York University. She is an Associate Member of ASTO (Association of Sex Therapy in Ontario) and has completed the Sex Therapy Intensive Training at the University of Guelph. She is interested in how romantic partners can optimize sexual and relationship satisfaction and her research has been published in the Journal of Sex Research and Current Opinion in Psychology, and she has presented her research at The International Association for Relationship Research, The Canadian Psychological Association, The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, SEXposium. In 2022, she gave an award-winning talk on her research at the Canadian Sex Research Forum conference. Kat also enjoys travelling, biking, and singing (not well). For more information, please visit www.katkovatherapy.com.

Akshita is a master’s student at York University, supervised by Dr. Amy Muise. Previously, she served as the lab manager of the SHaRe Lab and was an undergraduate honours thesis student. Her research to date has explored how people’s lay beliefs about sexual satisfaction are associated with sexual responsiveness when there are sexual challenges in relationships. In the future, she aims to investigate how those who struggle to maintain satisfying romantic relationships can better navigate differences and conflict and ultimately achieve greater well-being. Beyond research, Akshita loves spending time with friends, rewatching her favourite TV shows, tending to her plant collection, and attending comedy shows.

Anya is the lab manager of the SHaRe Lab. She recently graduated from York University with an Honours B.Sc. in Psychology and a minor in Political Science. She completed a thesis-equivalent independent project under the supervision of Dr. Raymond A. Mar, exploring the impact of visual communication used in digital conversations on online dating conversation length. She is interested in understanding the processes of initiating sexual relationships, while also exploring clinical and behavioural research in women's sexual health. Anya aspires to attend graduate school to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology particularly focusing her research on sexual difficulties, discrepancies, and distress, with an emphasis on developing and testing psychological interventions for managing sexual dysfunction. Beyond research, Anya enjoys travelling, exploring various cuisines, watching Turkish dramas and educating herself on global politics.

Olivia is an affiliated graduate student in the lab, coordinating a study on the use of Virtual Reality in romantic relationships. She completed her undergraduate degree in the Specialized Honours program in Psychology at York University. Her thesis explored the effect of social media food images on the mood and mental health of female undergraduate students. She also has research experience in child and family well-being, and EFFT (Emotion Focused Family Therapy). Currently, Olivia is attending the University of Toronto OISE’s program in Counselling and Psychotherapy to become a registered psychotherapist. She is interested in working with couples and families.