Dr. Dastur is the Director of KPU’s Virtual Reality Lab and a faculty member in the Psychology Dept. He is interested in using extended reality technologies to better understand persistent problems in psychology and to explore new frontiers in the human mind.

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Email: farhad.dastur@kpu.ca

Jasbir is pursuing her honors degree in psychology with a minor in counseling. She is particularly fascinated by how virtual reality can be used to explore human anatomy, aiming to enhance classroom education and spark student interest through immersive and engaging experiences in the VR lab. By leveraging VR technology, she hopes to create interactive lessons that allow students to virtually dissect and examine the intricacies of the human body, making complex anatomical concepts more accessible and captivating. Her career goal is to become a clinical counselor, while also gaining expertise in virtual reality research within psychology. Jasbir's passion for psychology has led her to mentor young girls in the community, helping them build confidence and develop essential life skills. Additionally, she works as a life coach, dedicated to assisting individuals in achieving their personal and professional goals.

In her leisure time, Jasbir enjoys working out at the gym, hiking with her dogs, spending time with her family, and reading books. She is committed to making a positive impact on those around her and embodies a dedication to lifelong learning and personal growth.

Email: jasbir.dhanjal@student.kpu.ca 

Jasleen is currently studying Psychology while working as an Outreach Worker for the Surrey School District, a Commissioned Multi/Mixed-Media Artist/Art Director, Production Designer, and an Actor. Jasleen is working to create meaningful connections and positive impacts within the education system and hopes to learn more about the VIrtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and how to conduct research and apply her knowledge and abilities to create this meaningful change. Her goal in the Virtual Reality Lab is to learn to apply research involving VR and AR in order to promote mental well-being and educational support for youth.

David graduated from KPU in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Minor in Counselling. His research interests in the VR Lab involve applications of virtual reality related to disgust sensitivity. Aside from research David is also the VR Lab’s resident graphic designer.

For fun, David enjoys distance running, going to the gym and cooking savoury food.

Zhane is a fourth year student in the Bachelors of Arts in Human Behaviour and Applied Psychology program at KPU. Zhane has taken courses in human factors, research methods, program evaluation and applied statistics. Her research interests include human factors and UX research, specifically understanding how humans interact with technology for skills training. Currently, Zhane is interested in how VR technology can be used for improving confidence in job training skills. In the future, Zhane would like to explore a career in human computer interaction research.

Outside of the lab Zhane hobbies include reading, weight lifting, video games, and badminton.

Jessica is currently working on her undergraduate studies, majoring in Psychology. With the VR Lab, she is interested in exploring how VR technology affects motivation and development, particularly within an educational setting. In the future, she is aiming to either become a clinical psychologist or continue work in the field of research.

Outside of the lab, Jessica enjoys playing soccer, reading, baking, and cooking.

Lucy is the Research Coordinator of KPU’s Virtual Reality Lab. She is a fourth-year Honours student who is completing a BSc in Health Science (Minor in Biology) degree at KPU. She has completed her Honours Research Project which evaluated how watching a normal video compares to playing a VR game for learning how to cook a healthy recipe. She wants to help and support VR Lab members to generate research topics and conduct research in the VR Lab.

In her free time, she loves listening to music, reading novels, and volunteering at community events. 

Paneet is a Psychology student at KPU majoring in Applied Psychology. Her research interests include human factors and ergonomics, technology, user research and behavioural economics. Paneet is interested in learning how to become a better researcher and apply her knowledge and skillsket to her community and within academia. Her research interests in the VR Lab involve applications of virtual reality to language aquistion.

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In her spare time, Paneet can be found learning new languages, exploring the city, or binge-watching Brooklyn 99.

Reesha is a current Psychology student with a strong focus on Clinical Psychology. However, she explores new interests within Psychology each year. Currently, she is exploring the effects of artificial intelligence on adolescents, but her other recent areas of curiosity include marketing in psychology and sharpening her English writing skills.

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Reesha’s interests outside of academia include cross-country and track running, attending concerts with friends, and spending time at trampoline parks. She also loves karaoke nights with her closest friends.

Trisha is a fourth-year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Human Behaviour and Applied Psychology. She is passionate in uncovering everything technology has to offer. Trisha’s interests in the VR Lab involve learning new skills to implement on her career aspirations of becoming a user-experience (UX) researcher and designer. She also hopes to gain significant connections throughout her experience with the VR Lab.

Outside of the lab, Trisha enjoys playing a variety of video games, creating digital artworks, reading books, and learning new skills like coding languages (HTML and CSS), and Figma.

Danielle Robinson is a KPU Alumni and Interior Designer - In 2020 she founded Cedar & Salt, a Vancouver-based studio that explores how space can support well-being, connection, and a deeper relationship to nature. With over 10 years of experience - including time spent working in London and studying in São Paulo - she combines thoughtful interiors with a love of craft, conscious materials, and meaningful objects. 

Now beginning to explore immersive design and spatial technology, Danielle is interested in how virtual experiences can add a new layer to storytelling and healing- without losing the human touch . Danielle is excited to be part of the VR Lab to explore how immersive design and emerging tech can be used in meaningful ways - to tell stories, build empathy, and create environments that feel healing and intentional. 

Kajal, is nearing the end of her undergraduate studies, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Counselling. Her interest in Psychology research is propelled by her passion for helping her community; in alliance with her interest In the Psychology of Perception. Through this lab, she aims to apply current research in order to gain new insight on the extent to which VR can alter human perception. She aims to pursue a career in clinical counselling as well as conduct research in the VR/Psychology field. She is embarking on her journey to achieve a masters in clinical counselling psychology and reach her goals of promoting health and well-being for all.

Outside of work and studying, Kajal enjoys the great outdoors: hiking, kayaking, as well as exploring her creativity through art and photography. 

Fun fact: Kajal loves working with animals and has experienced working with them in the past; specifically, through applying behavioural procedures such as operant conditioning to positively reinforce canine behaviour. 🐾

Kiran graduated from Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology and a Minor in Counseling Psychology. Her honours thesis examined the viability of the Misinformation Effect – memory alterations following exposure to post-event information – across a slideshow, two-dimensional video, and 360-degree Virtual Reality. She was a recipient of the 2020 Canadian Psychological Association of Academic Excellence award for her thesis. Recently, Kiran completed her Master of Science in Experimental Psychology at Western Washington University with Dr. Ira Hyman in his Applied Cognition Lab, where she explored how a mix of true and false information disrupts perceptions of truth and consensus.

Her research interests include memory, misinformation, inattentional blindness, race, and development.

Hana is an undergraduate student currently majoring in Computer Science and Psychology. She has a passion for the STEM field, with the biological sciences in particular. Hana’s interests in the VR Lab lie in the intersection of technology and biology, exploring how VR can be used in the medical field for pain tolerance, education, or therapeutic purposes. She hopes to gain significant research experience, as she plans to move forward into careers in the research field.

Outside of the lab, Hana enjoys playing a variety of instruments, making collages, and reading books.