Collaborating with faculty from the College of Nursing and the College of Human Medicine, I am the principal investigator of a recently awarded Trifecta Initiative grant to conduct a pilot study, laying the foundation for a NIH grant proposal. This project investigates the awareness and perceptions of THC-infused beverages among both adolescents and their parents through interviews and surveys in the first study, and designs and tests messages in the second study.

An AI project examines the feasibility of using large language model (LLM)-based embodied conversational agents (ECAs) to support college students in addressing personal needs such as career planning, balancing study and internships, managing academic stress, and enhancing overall well-being. The findings offer practical guidance for designing AI-enhanced communication strategies that emphasize empathy, personalization, and relational effectiveness, especially in education, health, and other service-oriented sectors increasingly reliant on digital interaction.

A project on telemedicine found that virtual backgrounds convey meaningful professional cues. Clinical and home office settings enhanced perceptions of provider credibility, while plain backgrounds diminished them. These findings highlight how background choices influence patient trust, pointing to the need for visual professionalism guidelines in virtual care environments.

One project highlights the key role families and other social network members play in shaping people’s beliefs and behaviors about. Who children and adults discuss food with influence their health. Another study developed and tested a new measure to operationalize family member marginalization made up of three dimensions: difference, disapproval, and exclusion.

In Slovenia, where traditional gender roles remain prevalent, caregiving often reinforces conventional household labor divisions despite most women working full-time. Our project on women in Slovenia balancing work and family responsibilities suggests that organizations and policymakers can play a pivotal role in improving both individual well-being and broader social outcomes

The project aimed to understanding obstacles Flint residents are facing especially about healthy food access and how they think of the government. SNAP is a local supplemental nutrition assistance program. The project was funded by National Science Foundation (NSF).

Our study (interviews, focus groups, survey) informed the design of Flint Eats App. Features include: (a) Search for specific deals anywhere on the map or get alerted to deals and sales upon walking into a store; (b) Users post reviews, recipes, deals and tips about healthy eating.

An industry-funded project (Doner Agency and the Detroit Zoological Society) investigated the psychological and psychophysiological effects of watching and interacting with zoo animals. Research was used as basis for a regional advertising campaign.

Funded by Department of Advertising + Public Relations at Michigan State University [$10,000, awarded, Fall 2015]. We conducted a workshop on media effects and social media for the Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan troop. The project entailed conducting survey studies on teenage girls’ selfie use and posting and managing an exhibit at the Girl Scouts headquarter highlighting the challenges and opportunities related to social media, selfies, and body image.

Collaborating with Media and Advertising Psychology (MAP) lab at Michigan State University, I have engaged in multiple research projects, where we have examined the psychological effects and processes associated with using digital and social media for persuasive purposes.

One study investigated young adults’ motivations to use four major social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat).

I have earned a certificate in Google UX design courses by completing 7 courses. I designed a healthy recipe app and a responsive web to show people how to cook healthy meals.

Check app prototype: https://www.figma.com/proto/JNMpZ0gT8nPZOaeeE9GkzY/Hello-Healthy?node-id=107%3A1779&page-id=107%3A1778&scaling=scale-down&show-proto-sidebar=1&starting-point-node-id=107%3A1779

Check responsive web prototype: https://xd.adobe.com/view/5755dd12-978d-4126-9d52-1d1b30d8455e-0206/

More study can be found on https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&pli=1&authuser=1&user=Cf6_pQ4AAAAJ