PEOPLE | The SexTech Lab

LAB MEMBERS

Dr. Pani Farvid

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Scholar, Advocate, Consultant Lab Founder and Director Dr. Pani Farvid is an Associate Professor of Applied Psychology. She joined The New School in 2019 from Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, where she developed successful teaching and research programs, as well as wide-ranging media profile addressing social and psychological issues (e.g., see her TEDx talk on saying goodbye to binary gender). Dr. Farvid works with interdisciplinary research teams, community organizations and policy makers across the globe. She draws on mixed-methods, discursive methods, as well as new and emerging methodologies. Her current research/supervision interests span the following: Working with marginalized populations (e.g., refugees, immigrants, non-binary, LGBTQI+, ethnic/racial minorities) in order to foster equity and social justice.

Dr. Thomas A. Vance

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Culture Researcher, Psychologist, Professor Dr. Thomas A. Vance, an esteemed counseling psychologist with over a decade in clinical practice, specializes in multicultural psychology, advocating for marginalized voices and community empowerment. He founded ClearMinds LLC, a tele-mental health practice committed to providing accessible, culturally responsive care. An Adjunct Professor at The New School of Public Engagement and NYU, he imparts vital insights into psychology. His accolades include post-doctorate training from Columbia Irving Medical Center and The New School for Social Research. He received his PhD in Counseling Psychology from The University of Akron.

Dr. Sedef Ozoguz

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Assistant Professor in Psychology Sedef Ozoguz (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Schools of Public Engagement at The New School. She completed her doctoral training at the City University of New York and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of York and University College London. Her research focuses on freedoms denied and freedoms desired in relation to gender and sexuality in non-Western communities. She has published on sexual and reproductive rights, sex education in the US and the impact of sexual empowerment discourses on immigrating women. She has been rewarded the Dissertation Fellowship and the Art Science Connect Award for her thesis on the liberation of women in Turkey, recognized for her contribution to both arts and sciences through multidisciplinary research design. Sedef is committed to public scholarship and has been involved in making gender and sexuality research accessible through her work at SexGenLab at Hunter College in New York, as well as through Wild Women of Anatolia, a documentary project about women’s freedom dreams in Turkey.

Dr. Denton Calleder

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Researcher, Advocate, Communicator Denton Callander, PhD, is a researcher who studies barriers to and ways of improving sexual health and well-being. He is particularly interested in how technologies impact sexual health, facilitate novel forms of sexuality research, and present opportunities for intervention. Denton leads a diverse portfolio of mixed methods and interdisciplinary research in Australasia, North America, and Europe.

Dr. Jedediah Walls

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Dr. Cecilia Strand

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Cecilia Strand (PhD) is a visiting scholar to The SexTech Lab Cecilia Strand (PhD) is a visiting scholar to The SexTech Lab and The Gender and Sexuality Institute, from the Department for Informatics and Media, at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her research interests span LGBTIQ+ activism in the Global South and in particular their digital media practices in repressive contexts, as well as development industry policy and practices when it comes to SOGIE rights. Her multi-disciplinary work draws broadly on the fields of digital media studies, activism, and development studies. Prior to returning to academia in 2010, she worked as a development practitioner spending eight years in three different Sub-Saharan African countries working primarily with HIV/AIDS mainstreaming and prevention campaigns.

Dr. Kaisa Wilson

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Marie Deschamps

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Psychotherapist, Researcher Artist Originally from Europe (France/Germany) but based in Houston (TX, USA), Marie Deschamps (she, her) is an art psychotherapist, researcher and artist, with clinical specialty in psycho-oncology and palliative care (UNAM, Mexico). A current doctoral candidate at Lesley University (Cambridge, USA), her research focuses on enhancing self-disclosure of oncological symptoms in collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center (TX, USA). A graduate of the MIT-Harvard Medical School Innovation in Healthcare bootcamp, she developed a software to integrate art-based expression in health data monitoring and collaborates with the SexTech lab at the New School University (NY, USA) on researching the use of AI generative art in fostering therapeutic attunement and inclusion. An activist, she has worked with a number of gender and social justice initiative, from Tostan in Senegal, to the Kering Foundation (France), Planned Parenthood (USA) and the One Billion Rising movement led by Vagina Monologues writer Eve Ensler. For the past two years, she has been teaching future art psychotherapists from Central and South America at the Instituto Mexicano de Psicoterapia de Arte (IMPA). Prior to art therapy, Marie pursued her Masters in Public Policy and Management from London School of Economics and Sciences-Po Paris and worked with Global 500 companies and NGOs. She is a mother to Emilio and Matteo. Website: www.curiousarttherapy.com

Rebekah Nathan

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Student, Research Assistant, Lab Manager Rebekah Nathan is currently pursuing her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology, at The New School for Social Research. She is interested in exploring issues of gender and sexuality within clinical and critical psychology. With a focus on critical feminist psychological perspectives and methodology, her research explores the complexities and clinical implications of women’s sexuality and sexual fantasies and how these aspects intertwine with psychological well-being, societal norms, and political contexts. Rebekah is one of the managers of The SexTech Lab and comes from a theoretical film studies background.

Juliana Riccardi

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Researcher, Lab Manager Juliana Riccardi graduated from the New School with her BA in Psychology. She has extensive research experience, which includes being a Lab Manager for the SexTech Lab, and a research assistant in the Psychopathology Lab, NSSR Global Mental Health Lab, Cultural Psychology Lab, and SexTech Lab. Juliana has contributed significantly to a growing number of projects at the SexTech Lab, including publications, conferences, books, articles, events, and more.

Robyn Attarian

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Researcher, Student, Advocate Robyn Attarian is a BPATS alumni who is currently studying at The New School For Social Research for her MA degree in Psychology. She is pursuing the Research Track with a minor Transmedia Storytelling. She is interested in exploring issues within social and cultural psychology with a multimodal approach and is dedicated to bringing to life such nuanced experiences via documentary storytelling. Her area of research focuses on using a critical, Anti-Colonial lens to disseminate issues within Persian diasporic identities. She is one of the managers of The SexTech Lab and comes from a video production background.

Tyce Franshon Purvis

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Student, Artist, Advocate Tyce is a doctoral student of Clinical Psychology at the New School for Social Research. He intends to work with BIPOC and Queer folks as he continues on throughout his academic and clinical career. Tyce is passionate about improving the experiences of all Black people in academia, and as they navigate mental health services. At the moment he has been exploring the presence of anti-blackness in the therapeutic space as enacted by White psychotherapists. Tyce's future research intends to address the impact of paternal absence across the lifespan for young boys, as well as the ways in which communities come together to address this issue. He hopes to work with Black families, youth, and couples as he continues on in his clinical training in order to provide a space of empowerment for members of his community.

Samantha Klein

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Student, Researcher, Clinician-In-Training Sam is a second year PhD student in Clinical Psychology at the New School for Social Research. She earned her BA in Psychology with a concentration in Gender & Sexuality studies at Bard College in 2018. In addition to being a part of the SexTech Lab, Sam is also a Research Assistant and a member of the Gender & Health Lab in the Clinical Psychology department. Sam's research interests involve sexual/reproductive health and technologies-- specifically as they relate to women, gender minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community. Her MA thesis was a qualitative study examining patient/provider interactions as participants were deciding on preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).

Talea McCalman

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Student, Photographer, Educator Talea is a second-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student. Growing up in Brooklyn, Talea has always had an interest in mental health in marginalized communities, and racial justice. She is also interested in misogynoir, intergenerational trauma, suicide risk factors in Black youth, the impact of incarceration, and treatment outcomes in the LGBTQ+ community. Her previous research examines the influence of race on juror decision making and her master's thesis explored suicide risk factors of young adults with incarcerated household members. Outside of the NSSR, Talea enjoys photography, baking, and watching movies.

Sophia Mullens

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Student, Clinician, Researcher Sophie Mullens is a second-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the New School for Social Research. She works as a Research Assistant in both The Psychopathology Lab of McWelling Todman and in the SexTech Lab. Research interests include boredom, psychosis, gender bias in clinical judgment, and technologically mediated intimacies.

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Shanna King

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UX/UI Designer, Researcher Shanna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The New School. Her undergraduate studies focused on research, media psychology, and the psychology of design. She is an aspiring UX/UI Designer with a special interest in creating human-centered, harmonious technology.

Vlad Nabat

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SPE Fellow, Student, Visual Artist Vlad is a visual artist and designer, now a BPATS student pursuing a BA in Psychology. They are interested in neurobiology social neuroscience, as well as clinical psychology. As a queer person, they are passionate about conducting research which can improve access to mental health services for the LGBTQIA+ community. As an SPE fellow, they will be actively contributing to the research on experiences of nonbinary and trans youth.

Corey Curtis

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SPE Fellow, Student Corey is currently assisting in the writing and analyzing of data on a project about nonbinary and transgender youth.

Rebecca Snaider

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Student, Researcher, Feminist I’m a third year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology at TNS. I am mainly interested in Neuroscience, Feminist Psychology, and Clinical psych so I knew the Sex Tech Lab would fit my interests perfectly! I’m very excited to contribute to future research in this lab, and to empower my peers along the way!

Gabriella Ibrahim

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Student, Researcher Bella Ibrahim graduated from Pratt Institute in 2014 with a BFA in Communications Design and is currently completing her Liberal Studies MA and Gender Studies certificate at NSSR. Her MA research focuses on Egyptian American women and how their identity influences navigating sexuality and relationships. Bella comes from a creative marketing background, having worked on award-winning ad campaigns for brands like American Express and Charity: Water. She is currently the marketing director at Kerning Cultures Network, the first venture-funded podcast company in the Middle East.

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Cali McKenzie

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Student, Researcher, Supporter Cali is an undergraduate student at Lang studying anthropology and gender studies. Their areas of research include post-structuralist theory, discourses on the body and power, as well as queer and affect theory. Cali is particularly interested in challenging dominant narratives and established understandings in order to let the beautiful messiness of this world, and its subjugated knowledges, come through.

Brian Clement

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Researcher Brian Clement studied writing at UMass Amherst and holds a BA in psychology from The New School. He coordinates the research program on AI and art therapy.

Kay Nikiforova

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Researcher, Student, Advocate Kay Nikiforova is a Clinical Psychology PhD student at St. John's University, a mental health advocate and serves as an advisor for startups and organizations within the mental health and healthtech space. Their clinical and research interests span trauma, the GSM (Gender and Sexuality Minority) population, alternative sexuality and spiritual practices, we well as mental health literacy.

Maria Marchesi Lunardi

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Student researcher, Lacanian, Art Historian, Feminist Maria is a Brazilian student based in New York City. She double majored in Visual Studies & Art History and Psychology at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School. She is currently completing her MA in Psychology with a substance abuse concentration at NSSR. Her thesis is about masculinity, sexuality, and sexual initiation in upper-class Brazilian men which aims to understand better the subjective experience of being a Brazilian man and how it affects one’s manhood and personal relationships, including intimate relationships, as well as understand issues of power and domination that comes from being both a man and from the upper-class. Her main interests are the psychology of men and masculinity and Lacanian psychoanalysis. She is passionate about art history and the interconnection between art and psychoanalysis.

Dr. Rezwana Snigdha

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Rezwana Karim Snigdha is a Ph.D. candidate at Auckland University of Technology. Her Ph.D research focuses on transgender (hijra) in Bangladesh. She is working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, and has ten years of teaching and research experience in anthropology. She also worked as a Tutor in the Gender Sensitivity and Human Services course at the University of Canterbury, a part-time lecturer in the management department, and a tutor in Applied Media Ethics at AUT (Auckland University of Technology). She has an excellent grasp of gender diversity, LGBTQ, and qualitative research tools and techniques. She dedicates to in-depth research by using a multi-disciplinary approach and conducted several qualitative research on gender and sexuality. Ms. Snigdha’s areas of interest are Transgenderism, LGBTQ, Gender studies, Body & Sexuality. She is also interested in Queer Theory, Social and Cultural Anthropology

Ellis Jennings

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Student, Researcher, Advocate Ellis is a Master of Psychology student at the New School for Social Research and an aspiring clinician. Her research interests include minority stress, internalized heterosexism, romantic attachment, intersectional feminism, consensually non-monogamous relationships, and the LGBTQIA+ community. She is involved in the Center for Attachment Research and the SexTech Lab within the New School. She is also a graduate advocacy and research assistant for the Relationship Diversity Lab. In addition, Ellis is a program facilitator for a developing group intervention for LGBTQIA2S+ youth and volunteers as a crisis counselor for the Trevor Project.

Sanjana Basker

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Feminist, Student, Researcher Sanjana is a first-year PhD in the Counseling Psychology program at Teacher's College, Columbia, studying women's health, sexuality, and intimate relationships. Her interests and projects currently include: examining non-normative family and relationship structures, mapping patient-provider interactions for reproductive disorders, and dissecting the cultural forces resulting in the tradwife influencer movement. In her free time she reviews books on TikTok, kickboxes, and gets overly invested in the Great British Baking Show. She has been a member of the lab since Fall of 2021.

Brittney Monique Walker

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Storyteller, Queen :) Brittney Monique Walker is a narrative strategist with a love for BIPOC community storytelling. As a former reporter covering news, social justice, business, entertainment and travel, Brittney’s experience spans years of interviewing, investigating and story development in Los Angeles, Calif. and New York City. She is also a student at The New School for Social Research. Research interests include Black sexuality, Black romantic relationships, the intersectionality of Black sexuality and racism, policy, religion and culture.

Regina Colie

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Student, Researcher Regina Colie is in her second semester of the Masters of Psychology program at The New School for Social Research. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Marymount Manhattan College in May 2021. Regina is a member of the SexTech lab, and has assisted on numerous projects with Dr. Farvid. Her research interests include eating disorders, postpartum depression, autism spectrum disorder, and adjustment disorders. Regina’s chapter on children’s media during the COVID-19 was published in Dr. Nava Silton’s book, The Impact Of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Child, Adolescent, and Adult Development. Her work has also been featured in BALANCE Eating Disorder Treatment Center, Nourishing NY, and Project HEAL.

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Sapna Desai

Student, Researcher, Feminist, LQBTQIA+ Activist Sapna Desai is currently an MA psychology student at The New School for Social Research with a background in STEM, audit and cybersecurity. Sapna carries a diverse range of research interests on sexuality, spirituality, tech/AI/consciousness, psychedelics, boredom, attachment, global mental health, resilience and health and wellness promotion. Sapnas research interests continue to evolve as the field continues to evolve as an aspiring academic, psychological consultant and researcher.