I am trained in social psychology, and my research focuses on understanding how individuals develop a sense of "us", a shared social identity. This sense "us" emerges in a wide variety of contexts including in immigrants, in schools among students and staff members, and among the general population. Thus, my first research axis focuses on the process by which social identities develop. I am particularly interested in understanding how individuals manage multiple social identities. This is most evident among migrants, who often manage affiliation and identification with multiple cultural groups.

My second research axis focuses on the consequences of social identity. Having a shared sense of "us" allows individuals to work together with fellow group members towards better outcomes. These include greater social cohesion, better mental health, adopting public health measures, and engaging in collective action. Thus, I seek to better understand why and how social identities matter.

My third research axis seeks to understand when and how societies experience social change, and the way in which societies and individuals adapt to these processes. It is increasingly recognised no society and no group is immune to change, and hence we need to better understand when social change will occur, and how it can be mitigated to protect those who are vulnerable.

My research lies at the crossroads of social psychology and developmental psychology, and is based on the theory of self-determination (Deci & Ryan; 1980, 2000, 2010), which postulates that human beings have three essential psychological needs: competence, relatedness and autonomy. My research activities concern children’s need for autonomy and their development.