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.

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Email: farhad.dastur@kpu.ca

Harshmita is Kwantlen Polytechnic University Virtual Reality Labs lab manager. She is in her final year of her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in psychology and a minor in counselling. She also currently works as a youth care worker for various community services, and volunteers as a recreational assistant at an elder home. She is interested in broadening her experience in the realm of virtual reality in relation to various research interests. Some of her research interests include exploring neurocognitive functioning in elders and youth, specifically dementia and aging, meditation and mindfulness, and psychopathology. She is keen on pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. Her goal is to promote mental health education as well as provide extensive, well-researched resources to individuals for psychological development. 
 

Harshmita’s hobbies consist of walking and playing with her dog, Arlo, at the beach, writing poems and fictional books, and exploring new and unique recipes through baking. A fun fact about Harshmita is that she has flown a glider plane at 16 years old!

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Email: harshmita.chauhan@student.kpu.ca

Lucy is the Research Coordinator of KPU’s Virtual Reality Lab. She is a fourth-year Honours student who is completing a BSc in Health Science (Minor in Biology) degree at KPU. She has completed her Honours Research Project which evaluated how watching a normal video compares to playing a VR game for learning how to cook a healthy recipe. She wants to help and support VR Lab members to generate research topics and conduct research in the VR Lab.

In her free time, she loves listening to music, reading novels, and volunteering at community events. 

Kajal, is nearing the end of her undergraduate studies, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Counselling. Her interest in Psychology research is propelled by her passion for helping her community; in alliance with her interest In the Psychology of Perception. Through this lab, she aims to apply current research in order to gain new insight on the extent to which VR can alter human perception. She aims to pursue a career in clinical counselling as well as conduct research in the VR/Psychology field. She is embarking on her journey to achieve a masters in clinical counselling psychology and reach her goals of promoting health and well-being for all.

Outside of work and studying, Kajal enjoys the great outdoors: hiking, kayaking, as well as exploring her creativity through art and photography. 

Fun fact: Kajal loves working with animals and has experienced working with them in the past; specifically, through applying behavioural procedures such as operant conditioning to positively reinforce canine behaviour. 🐾

David graduated from KPU 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.

Paneet is a Psychology student at KPU majoring in Applied Psychology. Her research interests include human factors and ergonomics, technology, user research and behavioural economics. Paneet is interested in learning how to become a better researcher and apply her knowledge and skillsket to her community and within academia. Her research interests in the VR Lab involve applications of virtual reality to language aquistion.

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In her spare time, Paneet can be found learning new languages, exploring the city, or binge-watching Brooklyn 99.

Tammy is finishing up her BAA Psychology degree with a minor in Counselling. Within the lab, she is interested in exploring the aspects of VR and AR in its use in mental and physical health. In the future she is also hoping to go more into UI/UX design and also game development.

Outside of the lab, Tammy enjoys baking, going to concerts, traveling and playing video games.

Lalita has an honours degree in Philosophy from the University of Victoria and is currently taking her Masters in Clinical Psychology through Yorkville University. She is a professional artist, instructor, and facilitator, and has an Extended Reality (XR) Design Certificate through UBC. She is the coordinator for the UBC Emerging Media Community of Practice and her general research interests include education, mental health, and art as therapy. Current areas of research interest include alexithymia (aka ‘emotional blindness’), and intersections between loneliness and depression.

Jasmine has earned an honours degree in Health Sciences from Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2020. She is passionate in public health research. She is interested in researching and exploring more applications of virtual reality targeting nutritional health and general public health with the hope to integrate them into various public settings to promote health and well-being.

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In her spare time, Jasmine enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling around the world, and playing badminton.

Bio coming soon...

Jasleen is currently studying Psychology while working as an Outreach Worker for the Surrey School District, a Commissioned Multi/Mixed-Media Artist/Art Director, Production Designer, and an Actor. Jasleen is working to create meaningful connections and positive impacts within the education system and hopes to learn more about the VIrtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and how to conduct research and apply her knowledge and abilities to create this meaningful change. Her goal in the Virtual Reality Lab is to learn to apply research involving VR and AR in order to promote mental well-being and educational support for youth.

Merve is in the final stages of her undergraduate studies, currently pursuing a major in Psychology at KPU. Her research focus spans disorders of the nervous system, memory, circadian rhythm, and synaptic plasticity. Motivated to deepen her understanding of these topics, she is enthusiastic about pursuing a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Within the VR Lab, her research interests extend to the utilization of virtual reality, particularly in connection with circadian rhythm and memory applications.
 

Fun Fact: In her leisure time, Merve practises her photography skills, expressing a fondness for both black and white film and digital techniques.

Anureet, is exploring the intersection of psychology, criminology and Virtual reality. She is interested in finding out more about human behaviour in VR to simulate various aspects of criminal behaviour, forensic psychology or related phenomena. Through this lab, she wants to encompass areas such as crime scene reconstruction or even training programs for law enforcement professionals.
 

For fun : Aside from University readings, she enjoys high fantasy novels and has read all 8-10 book series of Sarah J. Mass - The Throne of Glass and many more. As well as enjoy dancing and music immensely.

Nykolle is a first-year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Psychology. From an early age, video games have been an integral part of her life, sparking a lifelong passion for virtual realms. Nykolle's fascination with video games has served as a gateway to an interest in the intersection of technology and human psychology, particularly in the realm of Virtual reality (VR), Augmented reality (AR), and Mixed reality (MR). Within the VR Lab, Nykolle is interested in pursuing the exploration of the susceptibility to persuasion within the context of Virtual reality.
 

Outside of her commitments, Nykolle enjoys exploring cafes, crocheting, travelling, and playing video games. When she feels particularly motivated and inspired, Nykolle also spends her time making or practising songs on her electric guitar.

Jessica is currently working on her undergraduate studies, majoring in Psychology. With the VR Lab, she is interested in exploring how VR technology affects motivation and development, particularly within an educational setting. In the future, she is aiming to either become a clinical psychologist or continue work in the field of research.

Outside of the lab, Jessica enjoys playing soccer, reading, baking, and cooking.