I’m Bel, a PhD student and researcher at the University of Melbourne, under the joint supervision of Dr. Frank Mollica and Prof. Yoshi Kashima. I’m broadly interested in the processes through which people and collectives make sense of and adapt to their surrounding environments. In my PhD in particular, I’m investigating the environmental conditions under which cultures of conservatism vs innovation may emerge and endure – with a focus on narratives as the unit of transmission between generations. Although my research interests generally lie in the areas of moral, social & cultural psychology, my approach to theory and methodology is multi-disciplinary. For example, the current project has been heavily shaped by research from areas like cognitive science, computational modelling and anthropology.

I completed a BSc. degree with honours in Psychology at the University of Melbourne. Since finishing my undergraduate training, I continued working at the university as a research assistant on projects related to social capital, health and wellbeing, and the moralisation of social norms.

Outside of work and study, I fill my time bouldering/ rock-climbing, playing music, and treating my dog like the king he is.