Lab Principal Investigator
DR. CHRISTOPHER STULTS
I am an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Baruch College, City University of New York, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in independent practice in New York City. The mission of my research and clinical work is to improve the lives of sexual and gender minority people. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Miami, my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Florida International University, and my PhD in Counseling Psychology from New York University. In addition to my passion for psychology, I am also a musician (guitar, piano) and an avid music fan.
Pronouns: he / him
Visit my website for more information.: Meet Our TeamLab Manager
CALEB NICHOLS
Caleb graduated from Hunter College with a BA in Developmental Psychology. While at Hunter, he conducted research with Dr. Nesha Burghardt’s neuroscience lab. After graduating from Hunter, he wanted to continue being involved with research and was deeply interested in Dr. Stults’s research. Many of Caleb’s closest friends and family (including his wife) are part of the LGBTQ+ community, so he wants to use his time and energy to help this community. He is particularly interested in the LGBTQ+ community’s experiences with religion.
Pronouns: he / him
Assistant Lab Managers
JAE EUN KWAK
I graduated from NYU with a BA in Psychology and Sociology and MA in Psychology. As a student, my senior and graduate theses were centered on gender inequality. I’m particularly interested in further investigating how masculinity and cultural stigma affect perceptions of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in sexual minority men. I currently work in Title IX and volunteer as a survivor advocate with the Crime Victims Treatment Center. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, baking, and watching true crime documentaries.
Pronouns: she / her
OLIVIA GORE
I am a second-year MA student in psychology at New York University with a focus in social psychology. My research interest is primarily in understanding transphobia and how transphobic framing that is often utilized by news outlets affects perceptions of transgender folk. Additionally, I am interested in how political alignment impacts susceptibility to such framing. Outside of research, I enjoy exploring new parks, block print making, and preparing for if I’m ever on Survivor!
Pronouns: she / her
Graduate Students
JAMIE TABER
I am currently a doctoral student in the Health Psychology and Clinical Science PhD program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. My research interests focus on the mental health of transgender and nonbinary people, including the effects of marginalization stress and violence on different psychological symptoms/experiences (e.g., dissociation, posttraumatic stress, psychosis), and how trans people resist systems of oppression. I also teach undergraduate psychology courses at Baruch College, and I hope to combine my passions for teaching and research in an academic career path in the future.
Pronouns: they / them
SAVANNAH LYNN
I received my BA in Psychology and Gender/Sexuality/ Feminist Studies from Duke University, and my MA in Psychology from New York University. I am a first-year doctoral student at CUNY’s Health Psychology and Clinical Science PhD program. My research centers the resilience and healing of young gender-minoritized people. Presently, I am most interested in the impact of anti-trans legislation on trans youth and family systems. I am inspired by justice-oriented intellectual and embodied movements, such as Black feminism, abolition, and decolonization, and I believe psychology is a crucial tool of advocacy against systemic oppression. When not working, I can be found doing aerial arts, reading, cooking, distributing mutual aid, and petting my cat.
Pronouns: she / they
STEPHAN BRANDT
Stephan (he/him) is currently a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Stony Brook University. Prior to pursuing his PhD, Stephan earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Stony Brook University and a master’s degree in Experimental Psychology at Brooklyn College. Stephan served as the lab manager of the SGMH lab from 2018 to 2020 and currently collaborates with the team on several projects. His research centers on minority stress, relationship functioning, and stressful dating experiences among LGBTQ+ individuals, with a particular focus on the factors that can buffer associations between these variables and psychosocial outcomes within this population (e.g., mental health, substance use, identity appraisals, and community connectedness). His research also considers need fulfillment and its association with individual and relational well-being among people in diverse relationship structures. In his clinical work, Stephan uses an integrative approach to treatment with adults, teens, couples, and families. He is trained in comprehensive dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and integrative behavioral couple therapy (IBCT).
Pronouns: he / him