Gabrielle Pfund
gabrielle.pfund@northwestern.edu
Gabrielle graduated with her PhD in Psychological and Brain Sciences in 2022. Her primary research interests include the measurement of purpose and how sense of purpose influences social relationships. Her dissertation examined within-person fluctuations in sense of purpose across multiple time frames. Gabrielle is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University, working with Drs. Emily Willroth and Daniel Mroczek.
Rachel Best
Rachel graduated with her B.A. in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology with a minor in the Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities. Her primary research interests include late-life transitions and the interaction of personality and health in older adults. Her honors thesis focused on how to assist retirees to maintain a sense of purpose during the retirement transition. Rachel is currently a graduate student at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University.
Ellie Martin
Ellie graduated from Lindenwood University, with her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology while minoring in Nonprofit Administration. Her research thesis focused on religion and its relationship to individuals’ sense of purpose and health.
Laura Dewitte
Laura received her BA in Psychology, and MS in Clinical and Health Psychology at KU Leuven, and recently completed her PhD in Psychology with Dr. Jessie Dezutter. Laura’s research focuses on meaning in life among older adults and those dealing with non-normative cognitive decline. She is currently a postdoctoral research associated at KU Leuven, and works with the PATH Lab on projects related to purpose and cognitive functioning, as well as how best to measure purpose and meaning in different populations.
Gemma Baugh
Gemma is a former PATH Lab undergraduate research assistant. She graduated with a B.A. from the Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology program at WUSTL along with minors in Computer Science and Writing. Her research in the PATH Lab examined purpose across the United States and how purpose is associated with variables such as financial status and physical health when examined at the state level.
Felix Cheung
Dr. Cheung was a former postdoctoral research associate in the PATH lab. His research focuses on individual, familial, and societal predictors of mental health, with a particular focus on life satisfaction and subjective wellbeing. His research with the PATH Lab has examined societal and statewide correlates of purpose, and how income mobility influences societal wellbeing. Dr. Cheung is currently an assistant professor at the University of Toronto.