Dr. Brenda Straka
@brendacstraka.bsky.social
Assistant professor studying social and developmental psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. @uiucmosaiclab.bsky.social
Duke and UVA alumna; she/her
Duke and UVA alumna; she/her
🔥🔥🔥check it out in February @spspnews.bsky.social!
Congratulations to our lab alumna, Sherlock Liu, for winning SPSP Graduate Student Poster Award!
This award is given to only 5 graduate students annually and recognizes their excellence in research! 🎖️
This award is given to only 5 graduate students annually and recognizes their excellence in research! 🎖️
January 21, 2026 at 1:09 AM
🔥🔥🔥check it out in February @spspnews.bsky.social!
Woo hoo!! ✨✨
Congratulations to our PhD student, Sarah Osaro, for receiving the Clara Mayo Grant from SPSSI!
Sarah's research investigates whether experiences of identity denial among Multiracial people shape individuals' attitudes toward their own observable physical features.
Sarah's research investigates whether experiences of identity denial among Multiracial people shape individuals' attitudes toward their own observable physical features.
January 12, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Woo hoo!! ✨✨
Reposted by Dr. Brenda Straka
🦃Happy Thanksgiving from the MOSAIC Lab!
The MOSAIC Lab is currently on fall break, but we want to wish everyone a safe and warm holiday! 🍂
PS Here’s a photo taken from our joint lab meetup at Curtis Orchard with the TREE Lab!
The MOSAIC Lab is currently on fall break, but we want to wish everyone a safe and warm holiday! 🍂
PS Here’s a photo taken from our joint lab meetup at Curtis Orchard with the TREE Lab!
November 27, 2025 at 4:07 PM
🦃Happy Thanksgiving from the MOSAIC Lab!
The MOSAIC Lab is currently on fall break, but we want to wish everyone a safe and warm holiday! 🍂
PS Here’s a photo taken from our joint lab meetup at Curtis Orchard with the TREE Lab!
The MOSAIC Lab is currently on fall break, but we want to wish everyone a safe and warm holiday! 🍂
PS Here’s a photo taken from our joint lab meetup at Curtis Orchard with the TREE Lab!
Reposted by Dr. Brenda Straka
"AI-Faces by Illinois" include 1,152 AI-generated images of children by age (3-15), gender, eight racial background, and emotion (smile, angry, sad). Images (osf.io/vurm5/) and Preprint available(doi.org/10.31234/osf...) with @brendacstraka.bsky.social and @Dr. Michael Rizzo!
November 15, 2025 at 3:54 AM
"AI-Faces by Illinois" include 1,152 AI-generated images of children by age (3-15), gender, eight racial background, and emotion (smile, angry, sad). Images (osf.io/vurm5/) and Preprint available(doi.org/10.31234/osf...) with @brendacstraka.bsky.social and @Dr. Michael Rizzo!
Reposted by Dr. Brenda Straka
Starting the week strong with a newly accepted paper in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, co-authored with postdoc @lizsnoland.bsky.social and Sohad Murrar! We merged two largely independent research lines to call for data disaggregation of Asian Americans and MENA Americans
Unpacking Broad Racial Labels: The Disaggregation of Data on Race and Ethnicity: https://osf.io/eyv7b
November 17, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Starting the week strong with a newly accepted paper in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, co-authored with postdoc @lizsnoland.bsky.social and Sohad Murrar! We merged two largely independent research lines to call for data disaggregation of Asian Americans and MENA Americans
Headed to @spspnews.bsky.social in February! 💫
📣The MOSAIC Lab is excited to announce that Sarah and Teresa will be presenting their posters at SPSP 2026 in Chicago! The annual convention will be held on Feb 26-28th. Be sure to attend their posters!👩🏫
November 5, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Headed to @spspnews.bsky.social in February! 💫
🙌🙌
Happy Graduation! 🎊 Huge congratulations to Heaven who will be continuing her academic journey this fall at the University of Illinois in Chicago pursuing a Master's in Social Work! Heaven was one of the first members of our team and we will surely miss her! ❤️
August 7, 2025 at 6:07 PM
🙌🙌
✨✨ And some more info: psychiatry.duke.edu/news/study-s...
July 24, 2025 at 10:16 PM
✨✨ And some more info: psychiatry.duke.edu/news/study-s...
👏👏
More post graduation news! 🥳Congratulations to Sherlock continuing her academic career in the PhD program in Personality and Social Context Psychology at the University of Michigan this fall! Sherlock was integral to building the MOSAIC lab and we are so excited to follow her academic journey! 🌟
June 27, 2025 at 10:27 PM
👏👏
👏👏👏 #OhioState #Buckeyes
Post Graduation Announcement! 👩🎓Huge congratulations to Isabela who will be continuing her academic journey this fall at The Ohio State University pursuing a PhD in Social Psychology ✨ Isabela has been with the MOSAIC lab since the start and she is now off to do more amazing work! #psychology
June 6, 2025 at 9:04 PM
👏👏👏 #OhioState #Buckeyes
Where does the time go??? Can’t believe I have lab alum! 🥹
Congratulations to our incredible students who graduated last weekend! Sherlock graduated from the MSPS program and Seniors Heaven, Teresa, Lilian, Abir, and Isabella all graduated with honors! 🥳 💙🧡
May 24, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Where does the time go??? Can’t believe I have lab alum! 🥹
🥳 another amazing student!
🎉 Congratulations to Bryana for being accepted into the TRIO McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program!
She will continue working with Dr. Brenda Straka on her independent project, “Exploring Social Exclusion Among Students from Low SES Backgrounds.” 👏✨
#uiuc #socialpsych #uiucmosaiclab
She will continue working with Dr. Brenda Straka on her independent project, “Exploring Social Exclusion Among Students from Low SES Backgrounds.” 👏✨
#uiuc #socialpsych #uiucmosaiclab
May 9, 2025 at 8:00 PM
🥳 another amazing student!
🥳 these students are incredible!
🎉 Big congratulations to our Capstone students for completing their theses and presenting their work at the Undergraduate Research Symposium! Your year-long dedication and hard work have officially come to a close, and we couldn’t be prouder of all you’ve accomplished. 💫👏
#uiuc #socialpsychology
#uiuc #socialpsychology
May 2, 2025 at 7:11 PM
🥳 these students are incredible!
So excited to welcome Sarah to the lab! 🤩
Welcome to the MOSAIC Lab, Sarah O! 🌟
Sarah is a first-year Ph.D. student in Social Psychology at UIUC. She earned her M.A. in Educational Measurement & Statistics and her B.S. in Psychology, with a certificate in Resilience and Trauma-Informed Perspectives, from the University of Iowa.
Sarah is a first-year Ph.D. student in Social Psychology at UIUC. She earned her M.A. in Educational Measurement & Statistics and her B.S. in Psychology, with a certificate in Resilience and Trauma-Informed Perspectives, from the University of Iowa.
April 22, 2025 at 7:07 PM
So excited to welcome Sarah to the lab! 🤩
Reposted by Dr. Brenda Straka
MOSAIC Lab took over #MPA25 this past weekend! Lilian, Teresa, Abir, and Isabela all presented their Capstone projects they have been working on over this past year, amazing!
April 15, 2025 at 7:39 PM
MOSAIC Lab took over #MPA25 this past weekend! Lilian, Teresa, Abir, and Isabela all presented their Capstone projects they have been working on over this past year, amazing!
@uiucmosaiclab.bsky.social took over #MPA25 this year! So proud of these incredible students 🤩
April 15, 2025 at 7:42 PM
@uiucmosaiclab.bsky.social took over #MPA25 this year! So proud of these incredible students 🤩