Sonia Xinyu Pan

Ph.D. Candidate

Department of Psychology

The University of Hong Kong

I'm a doctoral candidate in social psychology at the University of Hong Kong, on the lookout for an exciting postdoctoral opportunity in the United States [CV].

With a strong expertise in behavioral science, I enjoy exploring how people behave in various settings using quantitative approaches. To sprinkle some psychological magic and offer creative solutions to challenges across various field has always been my passion. I'm dedicated to bridge psychology and real-life questions, offering practical insights and solutions along the way.

Research

My research has been centered around two key questions.

How do situational context factors impact people?
What inner resources can help us thrive in different contexts?

Find out more on my PROJECTS page.

From Research to Application

I am committed to utilize psychology to solve real-life problems.

Positive psychology interventions: Collaborating with researchers from Peking University and UC Berkeley, we are working on developing brief yet effective interventions that harness the power of awe. Our collaborative efforts with hospitals and technology companies aim to benefit individuals in the context of illness.
Urban planning: Our research on social crowding has provided fascinating insights for urban planning. Simple environmental designs have the potential to alleviate discomfort caused by crowding.
Courses: I designed and taught the pre-college course "Understanding Cyberspace through the Lens of Social Psychology" at Peking University. The course has successfully completed 5 sessions and received consistent praise from students.