People


Introducing the Winter 24 Cultural Developmental Science Lab

Members inlcude:
Front row - Ariane Desmarais (PhD student), Alice Zhang, Nicole Liu, Ella Yu, Melissa Slamani, Saratu Ibrahim, Tripat Rihal (PhD Student)
Back row - Stacy Wang, Keita Christophe (PI), Shayndel Jim (PhD Student), Cynthia Marval, Tanya Pierre-Sindor, Loredana Donciu, Tanycha Grand-Pierre, Connor McNeil, Imane Kassem, Jaiden John Nelson

N. Keita Christophe, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator
(He/him/il)

Dr. Christophe is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at McGill University. He received his PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he also earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Christophe is also a former NICHD T-32 Predoctoral Fellow at the Carolina Consortium on Human Development. Dr. Christophe’s research employs a wide range of quantitative tools to examine (1) the impact of discrimination on trajectories of psychopathology and wellbeing among racially/ethnically minoritized and immigrant youth, (2) how cultural factors such as ethnic-racial identity, the way parents talk to their children about race and discrimination (i.e., parental ethnic-racial socialization), cultural values, youth activism, and culturally-embedded forms of coping (shift-&-persist, religious coping, etc.) may reduce the harmful impacts of discrimination among youth and families. He also has (3) a line of measurement-focused work that aims to create, evaluate, and improve the measurement tools we have to better study cultural processes in minoritized communities.

In addition to his other collaborations, Dr. Christophe has also recently started working with researchers at the Center for Excellence in Youth Mental Health (CEYMH)!

Ariane Desmarais

Graduate Student
(She/her/elle)

Ariane is a 2nd year clinical psychology PhD student at McGill University where she recently received her BA Honours in psychology. She is interested in daily online experiences of discrimination and the development of civic engagement (activism) as well as its longitudinal effects on wellbeing during adolescence and emerging adulthood. She is also interested in the protective effects of parental support and how it can help youth cope with racial stressors. Some of her future research plans include the development of an anti-racist civic engagement measure for youth and emerging adults to explore different kinds of activism that may occur on social media or other online means.

Tripat Rihal

Graduate Student
(She/her/elle)
Tripat is a 1st year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student within the CDS lab. Prior to joining the lab, she received her B.A. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and her M.S. in Clinical Research Methodology from Fordham University. Broadly, she is interested in exploring how stressful life experiences specific to BIPOC youth influence their internalizing mental health outcomes. In exploring this, she is also interested in elucidating how coping behaviors in the face of stress and racially-salient factors (e.g. familism, ethnic-racial identity development) may play a role in BIPOC youth internalizing mental health outcomes. Tripat is currently working on a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) exploring profiles of online racism and media microaggression exposure among Asian University students in Canada, exploring internalizing mental health symptoms across these profiles.

Shayndel Jim

Graduate Student
(She/her/elle)
Shayndel is a 1st year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at the Cultural Developmental Science Lab. Prior to joining McGill University, she received her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Guelph. Broadly, she is interested in researching how experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination impact the wellbeing of adolescents and emerging adults, particularly in the higher education context. More specifically, she is interested in exploring what factors influence the impact of various types of discrimination (e.g., interpersonal, microaggressions, institutional, and online discrimination) that ethnic-racial minority youth experience, as well as protective factors that can help youth cope and buffer against the negative effects of discrimination. Additionally, she is interested in developing measurement tools and evidence-based interventions to better understand and serve minoritized communities. Shayndel is currently working on a project that examines how discrimination and ethnic-racial identity dimensions (i.e., exploration and centrality) interact to differentially predict interpersonal, communal, and political change action among Asian university students in Canada.

Fall 2023

Members include: Keita Christophe (PI), Shayndel Jim (PhD student), Saratu Ibrahim, Jaiden John Nelson, Ella Yu, Connor McNeil, Nicole Liu, Alice Zhange, Rowina Debalkew, Tripat Rihal (PhD student), Zirui Li, Melissa Slamani, Ariane Desmarais (PhD student)

Winter 2023

Members include: Saratu Ibrahim, Priya Patel, Aymée Bray Le Métayer, Cassidy Dal Santo, Alice Zhang, Hannah Fraser-Purdy, Keita Christophe (PI), Ariane Desmarais (PhD student), Rowina Debalkew, Melissa Slamani, Zirui Li Not Pictured: Bianca Adjei

Fall 2023


Members are (from left to right): Hannah Fraser-Purdy, Priya Patel, Bianca Adjei, Alice Zhang, Cassidy Dal Santo, Aymée Bray Le Métayer, Ariane Desmarais (PhD student), & Keita Christophe (PI)
Interested in joining the lab as an undergraduate volunteer? Please fill out our Undergraduate Research Assistant Form!

Recent & Frequent Collaborators

We are strong believers in the value of collaborative science and working in interdisciplinary teams. Below, we link to some of frequent and recent collaborators from across the social sciences:
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