Our Team

Anxiety

Dr Michael Kyron

Lab Director

Dr Kyron finished his PhD in 2019 from the University in Australia. His research throughout focused on predicting suicide risk in clinical settings by measuring changes in interpersonal stressors. Since then Michael has engaged in a range of different research project, including assessing mental health of emergency services workers, youth mental health, emotion regulation in daily life, and identifying biomarkers for suicide risk and depression.

Depression

Jasmine Laginha

Lab Manager

Jasmine is a current Honours student researching the impact of physiological factors on mental well-being, with a particular focus on how physical activity can help reduce suicidal ideation. She is also a dedicated Lifeline Crisis Supporter and a passionate advocate for keeping young women engaged in sport

PhD Students

Ruby Van Kins

Relationships

Ruby is pursuing her Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Psychological Science at The University of Western Australia. Her PhD research project investigates readmissions to acute psychiatric inpatient care, and aims to identify distinct patterns of readmissions, and explore how these patterns relate to various stable and dynamic factors. This research is conducted in collaboration with Perth Clinic, and is expected to provide a unique conceptual framework which may allow clinicians to meaningfully understand, predict, and address various readmission trajectories.

Outside of her project, she has been involved in research relating to sleep interventions, decision making, multiple goal pursuit, loneliness, and cognitive bias. Her broader research interests include mental health and psychological wellbeing, the dynamic monitoring of treatments and patient outcomes, and quality improvement.

Ella Wood-Gush

Couples Therapy

Ella is a PhD student who is also undertaking a Master of Clinical Psychology. She has been involved in clinical psychology research since 2023, focusing on advancing our understanding of the interaction between short-term suicide risk factors in an inpatient psychiatric population. Through ongoing research with a hospital-based team, Ella refined her research interests around suicide prevention toward the impacts of sleep. More specifically, investigating the potential of sleep problems not only as an indicator of suicide risk, but also as a possible therapeutic target during inpatient stays. Ella’s PhD project aims to implement an adapted program of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) for hospital inpatients, evaluating the effectiveness of this intervention in both the improvement of sleep and reduction of suicidal ideation.

Joycelyn Kwan

Joycelyn is a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Clinical Psychology candidate at the University of Western Australia. Under the supervision of A/Prof Kristin Gainey and Dr. Michael Kyron, her PhD explores how psychological flexibility can help mitigate suicidal ideation. Her research is driven by her experience with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and her commitment to improving interventions for at-risk individuals. Alongside her research, Joycelyn is gaining clinical experience through her training, with a particular interest in working with individuals facing severe mental health challenges. She completed her Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology (Honours) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2022.

Lab Volunteers

Oleg Smirnov

Oleg is completing the final year of his Bachelor of Psychology degree at UWA. Oleg has previously earned a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in International Relations at Keele University (UK), and has worked in the airline, export and import industries. He aspires to complete postgraduate study to become a clinical psychologist. Currently, he is volunteering in the lab to gain hands-on experience in clinical psychology experiments. He is particularly drawn to understanding how developmental stages influence psychological well-being and how disruptions in these stages can lead to mental health challenges.