Current PhD students
• Danielle Villoresi, QUT (School of Psychology and Counselling), Understanding Self-Image and Compassionate Goal Adoption and Pursuit in Social Media Contexts
• Minyi Chu, QUT (School of Psychology and Counselling): Exploring the relationship between dark personality traits and bystander behaviours in cyberbullying incidents
• Sentha Govin-Vel, QUT (School of Early Childhood & Inclusive Education): Association between Overparenting, Social Media Use and Anxiety
• Tamara Alghudayyan, QUT (School of Early Childhood & Inclusive Education): The Understanding of Cyberbullying: Do the Definition and Terms Used Influence Its Prevalence Rates in Saudi Arabia?
• Dana Trenaman, QUT (School of Computer Science): Children’s experiences of toxicity during video game play
• Rabia Kilic, QUT (School of Computer Science): Investigation of Gendered Participation in Esports: Barriers, Belonging and Pathways to Inclusion
Current Honours students
Collaborators
• A/Prof Trish Obst, QUT (School of Psychology and Counselling)
• Prof Daniel Johnson, QUT (School of Computer Science)
• A/Prof Selen Türkay QUT (School of Computer Science)
• Prof Marilynn Campbell, QUT (School of Early Childhood & Inclusive Education)
• Prof Eric Vanman, University of Queensland (School of Psychology)
• Prof Jennifer Crocker, Ohio State University, USA
• Dr Tao Jiang, University of California, Irvine, USA
• Dr Raphaël Aubry, University of Geneva, Switzerland
PhD completions
• Dr Carly McComb (2025, UQ School of Psychology): Comparing inward and outward, upward but not downward: the self-evaluative and emotional effects of exposure to idealised social media content, and the interplay of dual comparison processes
• Dr Blake Kammermann (2025, QUT School of Computer Science): Unravelling the Effects of Videogame Rewards on Charitable Behaviour: Insights into Prosocial Engagement from Three Experimental Studies
• Dr Lewis Nitschinsk (2024, UQ School of Psychology): Why do people seek anonymity?
QUT Honours graduates
• Nathan Fairbairn (2025): Experiences Using and Disconnecting From Social Media
• Sophia Loiacono (2025): Content Sharing Experiences on Instagram: Comparing Stories and Posts in Relation to Well-Being, Authenticity, and Anxiety
• Jessica Bonasia (2024): Compassion Going Viral: Compassionate Goal Contagion Through Instagram Comments
• Emily Fox (2023): Examining the Relationship Between Self-Improvement Motives for Listening to Podcasts and Self -Efficacy
• Angus Lawson (2023): Podcast Listening as a Coping Tool for Experiences of Rejection: The Power of Parasocial Connection
• Sophie Massocchi (2023): Using Student-Led Social Media Groups and Chats: Exploring Social and Educational Purposes, Behaviour, and Basic Need Satisfaction
• Danielle Villoresi (2022): The Effect of Interpersonal Goals on Responding to a Weak Tie on Facebook
• Amelia Cant (2021): An Investigation of Interpersonal Goals on Social Networking Sites
• Selena Fearnside (2021): Effects of ‘Instagram vs Reality’ Images on Envy, Examining the Role of Upward Social Comparison
• Joshua Kelly (2021): Can a Facebook-Based Self-Affirmation Task Buffer the Negative Effect of Social Comparison on Self-Esteem?
• Ashleigh Lloyd (2020): Contagion of Interpersonal Goals in a Social Media Context
• Michael Smith (2020): Investigating the Relationship Between Similarity and Social Comparison Processes in the Context of Social Networking Sites (SNS)
• Casey Dunbar (2020): Understanding how Attachment Anxiety is Associated with Phone Snubbing (Phubbing) Behaviour
• Monica Roper (2020): Investigating Potential Mediators linking Compassionate Goals on Facebook with Subjective Well-being
QUT Masters Ed Dev graduates
• Tayla Roxborough (2023): Does Intrapersonal Emotional Competence Reduce the Negative Impact of Cyberostracism on Depression and Self-Esteem?
• Katelyn Solley (2021): Body Image and Sense of Belonging
• Melissa Harding (2020): Mothers and Social Media: Can Self-Affirmation Protect Against Parental Social Comparisons on Social Networking Sites?
