Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong
About us
Grace Letian Lei
Ph.D. Student
Grace obtained her Master's degree in psychology from CUHK in 2021. She is now pursuing her PhD under the co-supervision of Dr. Charlene Lam and Prof. Tatia Lee at HKU. She has a broad interest in affective neuroscience. Her thesis focuses on unconscious emotional processing, employing fear conditioning and extinction models, as well as continuous flash suppression paradigm. She is experienced in collecting and analysing data of various modalities, including pupil size, skin conductance responses, and functional MRI.
Helen Yanyao Zhou
Ph.D. Student
Yanyao (Helen) is currently second year Ph.D. student at HKU. She obtained her MSc in Psychology: Theory and Research from KU Leuven in 2022 with a magna cum laude before beginning her Ph.D study at HKU. She obtained her BA in the US, after which she worked as a venture capitalist in the biomedical sector and as an AP psychology teacher before her master’s study. She is currently investigating the role of emotion regulation among healthy and disease population.
Kay Zhiqi Zhang
Ph.D. Student
Kay obtained her BA in psychology from Barnard College, Columbia University (USA) with a magna cum laude in 2024. She is now pursuing her PhD at HKU under the co-supervision of Dr. Charlene Lam and Prof. Tatia Lee. Prior to joining the lab, she worked as a research assistant for several labs focusing on schizophrenia and ADHD. Her current interests are affective neuroscience and psychopathology. She is broadly passionate about clinical psychology, aiming to identify neurobiological correlates and risk factors to improve people’s resilience in the context of mental health issues.
Lam Chuk Nga Lam
PsycD Student (Part-Time)
Lana obtained her MSSc in Clinical Psychology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2013. She is currently pursuing her PsycD in Clinical Psychology at The University of Hong Kong under the supervision of Dr. Charlene Lam. Lana works at Kwai Chung Hospital, where she provides psychological services to adults presenting with a range of psychiatric disorders, with particular exposure to mood and anxiety disorders, PTSD, personality disorders, and complex trauma. Her clinical practice integrates various therapeutic approaches including Schema Therapy and EMDR. Her research interests lie in personality disorders and trauma, with a focus on intervention strategies. Lana is passionate about translating clinical research into practice and is committed to delivering effective, evidence-based care to individuals with severe mental health difficulties, especially in settings with limited resources.
Kirk Minrui Zhu
MPhil student
Minrui obtained his BSocSc in psychology from the University of Hong Kong in 2022. He is a year 2 MPhil student under the supervision of Prof. Charlene. Minrui is passionate about the field of clinical psychology and affective neuroscience. He would like to explore neurological mechanisms of anxiety and depression through fMRI and also desires to develop effective, preferably low-cost, psychological interventions based on findings. In addition, Minrui is an advocator of open science and aims to improve the transparency and replicability of scientific research.
Research interests: Anxiety and depression, neuroimaging (fMRI), psychological interventions, open science
Dong Na (Dona)
MPhil Student
Dona is an M.Phil. student in the Lab. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in the Republic of Ireland with a BA. in Neuroscience and obtained her MSc. in Advanced Neuroimaging from University College London. She is broadly interested in ageing neuroplasticity and emotional problems.
Maurice Lam
Clinical Psychology Student
Maurice is a clinical psychology trainee at HKU. He received his MSocSc in Psychology degree from CityU after obtaining his BBA in Economics degree from HKUST. Prior to joining the current programme, he has worked as a Psychology Assistant at Kwong Wah Hospital, in which he served patients who suffered from medical or neurological conditions in both in-patient and out-patient settings. His research interest lies in the interplay between emotion dysregulation, executive function, and mood functioning of adults with ADHD.
Vickie Lee
Clinical Psychology Student
Vickie is a clinical psychology trainee at HKU. She received her MA in Psychology degree from CUHK after obtaining her BSc in Surveying degree from HKU. Prior to joining the current programme, she has worked as a Research Assistant at the lab, in which she assisted in fear learning and emotion regulation studies. Her current research interest lies in neuropsychological mechanisms underlying emotion regulation difficulties in women with substance abuse.
Winky Ho
Clinical Psychology Student
Winky obtained her MSocSc (Hons) in Psychology from The University of Hong Kong. Since graduation, she has held various positions within the mental health sector, including research assistant in the Department of Psychiatry at HKU and Psychology Assistant at Castle Peak Hospital. She has provided assessments and low-intensity online interventions to a broad spectrum of clients, ranging from adolescents experiencing emotional difficulties to individuals with psychiatric conditions. She is currently undertaking clinical psychology training at HKU. Her research interests include the treatment of anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and trauma.
Rachel Chen
Clinical Psychology Student
Rachel received her BSocSc with a major in Psychology from The University of Hong Kong (HKU). She is currently pursuing her studies in clinical psychology at HKU. Under the supervision of Professor Charlene Lam, her dissertation investigates the relationship between ADHD symptoms in mothers and mother-child emotional attachment. Rachel has a keen interest in exploring the interplay between interpersonal relationships and emotional regulation.
Anson Hau
Clinical Psychology Student
Anson graduated from HKU, majoring in Journalism and Psychology, and is currently a Clinical Psychology Trainee at HKU. Upon graduation, he worked as a counsellor, serving secondary school students with ASD and non-refoulement claimants (NRC) in Hong Kong. He also obtained a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy. His research interests include the neurocognitive mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders (i.e., AD/HD and ASD) and anxiety disorders.
Alexandria Choi (Alex)
Research Assistant
Alex is a research assistant in the Lab. She graduated from University College London with a BSc. in Psychology and Language Sciences, focusing on literacy development in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children. Her current research interests include emotion regulation among women with experience of substance abuse, and novel treatments for anxiety and fear.
Cherrie Yu
Research Assistant
Cherrie is a final-year undergraduate student at HKU, majoring in Psychology and Criminology. Her field of interest is forensic and clinical psychology. Her internship experience at the Psychology Services Group of the Hong Kong Police Force has prompted her research interest in understanding the association between fear and behaviors, as well as emotion dysregulation. She is particularly passionate about the neurobiological mechanisms of psychopathology, especially in the criminal population.
Deb Lee
Research Intern
Deb is currently in her final year studying Psychology at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). With a passionate focus on Clinical Psychology, she is particularly drawn to the intricacies of emotional regulation and mental health. Her hands-on experience includes lab internships where she studied emotion regulation during sleep, as well as practical experience at a private psychology clinic. Outside of her academic pursuits, Deb enjoys DJing, exploring new travel destinations, and spending quality time with friends.
Graduated members
Dr. Michelle Tse (PsycD in Clinical Psychology)
Dr. Iris Wong (PsycD in Clinical Psychology)
Dr. Tony Lau (Ph.D. in Philosophy, MSocSc in Clinical Psychology)
MSocSc in Clinical Psychology
Caleb Tai
Eric Tang
Danny Wan
Rebecca Wong
Yip Wing Hei
Danielle R. Cavero
Christy Cheung
Wendy Tam
Lucianna Lau
Andy Suen
Tiffany Hon
MSocSc in Psychology
Joyce Ng
Tiffany Yuen
BSocSc majoring in Psychology
Michelle Lam
Zita Wong
Bosco Au
Fong Kai Hei