Lab Faculty
Poppy L. McLeod, Ph.D. is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication. Her research interests focus on group task performance in immersive virtual environments, the role of emotions, identity and language in intergroup communication, and social influence, the development of teamwork skills, and decision-making within task groups. Her teaching includes: introduction to communication; communication, decision-making and theory in small groups; graduate research methods; and leadership development. Poppy earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Social Psychology from Harvard University, and her B.S. in Psychology from Syracuse University.
Students
Diya Chopra-Malik is a sophomore majoring in Communication and minoring in Food Science. She is from New Delhi and Singapore. This is her first semester as a research assistant and being apart of any lab at all. She is very excited about the upcoming projects in order to understand group dynamics better.
Debbie Lee is is a junior majoring in Communication and minoring in Business and Information Science. She is interested in the effect of technology on mass and interpersonal communication. She plans on pursuing a career in marketing and brand management in a consumer-centric industry. This is her first semester working in the lab, and she is thrilled to learn more about the factors that impact teamwork and group decision-making processes.
Anastasia Okoye is a senior majoring in Information Science with concentrations in Data Science and Networks, Crowds and Markets and minoring in Business. She is from Howard County, Maryland and this is her first semester participating in the Group and Interpersonal Communication Lab. She is looking forward to learning more about how group dynamics impact communication, conducting, analyzing and drawing conclusions from research, and working with Professor McLeod and the research team.
Deanika Preuss is a senior Communication major, double-minoring in Business and International Trade and Development. She is interested in strategy and business operations, and joined the lab to gain insights on interpersonal communication and group dynamics to help fortify her people management skills. This is her third semester in the lab and she is excited to continue her research on student team composition as well as to explore several new projects
Estefania Rivera is a sophomore majoring in Human Biology, Healthy and Society in the College of Human Ecology. She is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and this is her first year participating in the Group and Interpersonal Communication Lab. She plans on pursing a career in Medicine after her undergraduate years at Cornell University. Estefania is looking forward to observe, analyze and learn from intergroup communication alongside other students and Professor McLeod.
Sophia Su is a sophomore Sociology major in the College of Arts and Sciences. This will be her first semester working at the GRIP lab. She looks forward to participating in the lab's exciting projects as well as collaborating with Professor McLeod and the research team. When she is not in the lab, she enjoys playing the ukulele and the Chinese yoyo.
Winny Sun is a junior majoring in Communication and minoring in Business and Law and Society. She is interested in social persuasion and influence, decision making in groups, and intergroup dynamics. This is her second semester at the Group and Interpersonal Communication Research Lab. She looks forward to working with Professor McLeod and the wonderful team on interesting research projects and cannot wait to collaborate with and learn from each other.
Alston Wang is a junior from Brooklyn, New York majoring in Communication and Information Science. This is his first semester participating in the Group and Interpersonal Communication Lab and he is looking forward to conducting research on intergroup dynamics alongside Professor McLeod as well as the amazing undergraduate team. Alston is particularly looking forward to conducting social research experiments, gathering results, and formulating conclusions.
Kylie Youk is a senior from Seoul, Korea, majoring in Communication and double minoring in Business and Law. This is her third semester in Professor McLeod’s lab and is excited to join a faculty of passionate students with a common interest in group functions. She aims to do research related to intergroup dynamics and social identity effects this semester. She is particularly interested in the differences and similarities between different ethnic and racial groups across Cornell. Outside of the lab, she serves as the Vice President of Finance in Class Councils and is the Chief Operating Director at Startup Grind. Her hobbies include playing badminton and rock climbing.
Tianke Zhao is a junior majoring in Communication and minoring in Education. He is originally from Hefei, China, and this is his first semester participating in Prof. McLeod’s Lab. Tianke is looking forward to the hands-on research/learning experiences happening in the lab and willing to engage with other amazing students. Outside of the lab, Tianke serves as the Head TA for COMM 2010 Oral Communication and a Residential Advisor at the Townhouses community on North Campus.
Alumni
Carmen Chan is a senior Communication major interested in interpersonal communication related to psychological distress and mental health. She joined the GRIP lab her sophomore year Fall and is excited to take on a new role as the lab's lab manager this semester. She is looking forward to creating a positive environment for her lab members and facilitating fun projects and new ideas.
Sophie Cook is a senior Communication major and Business minor. She has been in the GRIP lab since her freshman year and has worked on projects involving avatar mediated negotiation and student teams. She is particularly interested in teamwork and how individual traits affect team dynamics.
Cordelia Jin is a senior majoring in communication and minoring in information science in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Cornell University. She is originally from New York but grew up in Bangkok, Thailand. This will be her fifth semester in the lab, and she is very excited to continue to participate in the research experience. She is especially interested in studying conflict in groups and group communication, as she has been involved in many different group environments including sports teams and clubs, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, and other various groups with differing dynamics. The GRIP Lab has been nothing short of a spectacular experience for Cordelia, and she is very much excited to return to the lab for her last year at Cornell, and to continue learning from and with everyone! Fun fact: Cordelia and her fellow lab partner, Yutong, presented the lab’s research at the 68th Annual ICA Conference in Prague this past summer!
Julian Robison is a senior majoring in Communication and minoring in Business and Theatre. This is his third semester as a research assistant after working in the lab over the summer. He is the Layout Editor for the Cornell Daily Sun and was seen on stage this fall in The Awakening of Spring at the Schwartz Center.
Yutong Wu is a senior from China, majoring Communication and Information Science. This is her third year working in the Group and Interpersonal Communication Research Lab. She is looking forward to assisting in Professor McLeod's research lab and working with the team of dedicated and energetic students.
