MEET THE TEAM
LAB MEMBERS
Calvin Campbell
Research Assistant
Simmi Dhaliwal
Practicum Student
Zerlinda Chau
Research Assistant
PREVIOUS LAB MEMBERS
DR. FARHAD DASTUR
Dr. Dastur is the Director of KPU’s Virtual Reality Lab and a faculty member in the Psychology Dept. He is interested in using extended reality technologies to better understand persistent problems in psychology and to explore new frontiers in the human mind.
KIRAN DOGRA, BA (HONS.)
Lab Manager
Kiran graduated from Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2020 with an honours degree in Psychology and a minor in Counseling Psychology. Her honours thesis investigated the relationship between Virtual Reality and Memory. Along with her involvement as Lab Manager with the VR Lab, Kiran is currently working as a research assistant in Dr. Daniel Bernstein’s Lifespan Cognition Lab, which examines how thinking develops across the Lifespan. Kiran is also a founder and reviewer for the Kwantlen Psychology Student Journal, where she edits undergraduate submissions (analytical and empirical) for publication. Google Scholar Link
In her free time, Kiran can be found outdoors hiking, reading her collection of novels in the shade, cooking her favourite comfort foods, or binge-watching Brooklyn 99.
TINA CHARMCHI, BA (HONS.)
Education and Outreach Coordinator
& Web Administrator
In 2019, Tina earned her Bachelor’s Degree (Honours) in Psychology with a minor in Counselling. During her Undergrad, Tina was a part of the Bee Cognition Lab at KPU, where she helped build the first virtual reality system for bees at KPU, alongside Dr. Levente Orban. This led her to do her Honours project: A marker-based closed-loop capable virtual reality system for bees. Where she conducted her Honours project studying bees flight trajectories in response to optic flow manipulations.
Tina’s favourite VR activity is tuning the world out, and tuning into immersive mediation sessions.
KAYLA GARVIN
Research Assistant
Kayla is a fourth year Psychology student with a history in Philosophy, Linguistics, and Computer Science. Her research focuses on how the emerging media and technology of today can be used to help better the experiences of everyone. On top of her work at the Bee Cognition Lab and the Kwantlen Psychology Society, Kayla also serves as a student representative on several committees.
With interests ranging from Human Geography all the way to UX Design, her multifaceted talents are a perfect fit for the VR Lab.
DAVID MURRAY, BA
Research Assistant
David graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minor in Counselling. His research interests in the VR Lab involve applications of virtual reality related to disgust sensitivity. Aside from research David is also the VR Lab’s resident graphic designer.
For fun, David enjoys distance running, going to the gym and cooking savoury food.
Omar Jessa
2020
RA
LAB COLLABORATORS
Interested in joining the VR Lab to pursue additional research opportunities? Consider the following:
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I have a foundational understanding of research methods and statistics (i.e., PSYC 2300, PSYC 2400)​
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I have completed the TCPS Tutorial on Research Ethics
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I am dedicated and willing to commit a few hours per week on any current projects in the lab
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