Our Team

​Professor Sparkman (he/him) studies social influence and social change, including research on theory and interventions to address social problems related to the environment, health, and social inequity. He examines motivations to change behavior and how to advocate for change, including the role of social norms, identity, moral and political beliefs, and beliefs about whether change is possible. His research on social influence includes the effects of learning about trends in norms over time and norm misperception.

Fazli (she/her) studies the psychological and social mechanisms that drive systemic change. Her research explores when and how individuals come to see themselves as part of collective action, how that identification contributes to meaningful environmental and societal transformation, and how these insights can inform evidence-based policy interventions. Fazli is particularly interested in comparing these dynamics across urban and rural settings in both developed and developing countries.

Before joining Boston College, Fazli worked at the intersection of science and practice. As a researcher and consultant with organizations such as the SELCO Foundation, she contributed to systems-oriented approaches to poverty alleviation and decentralized, sustainable energy solutions in rural India. She has also been involved in science communication and archival research with institutions like Science Gallery Bengaluru.

Fazli holds an M.Phil. in Planning and Development from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, a Master’s in Public Administration from Jamia Millia Islamia, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Delhi.

Learn more about her work at  www.fazlisalim.com.

Marcus Trenfield (he/him) is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in social psychology at Boston College and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. His research develops and applies how psychological theories toward motivating people to address social issues—such as climate change, prejudice, and humanitarian crises—through everyday behavior change and collective action for systemic reform. Before starting his Ph.D. at Boston College in Fall 2022, he earned a B.A. in Psychology from Harvard University.

Trystan Loustau (she/her) is a fourth-year Ph.D. student studying how people navigate complex, cross-cutting social identities and challenge norms that enforce rigid group boundaries. Her research examines social identity complexity, contrarianism, and the psychological mechanisms that foster social cohesion in a fragmented world. Trys’ work highlights the tension and opportunity at social intersections—where diverse identities, perspectives, and group memberships converge. She explores how counterstereotypical identities (e.g., Christian liberals, gay Republicans) shape social cognition, how some individuals resist conformity and embrace contrarianism, and how ideological divides can be bridged through interventions that correct misperceptions and foster understanding. Her work has been published in Scientific Reports and Social Cognition, and she has written for Time magazine. Her research is supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Outside academia, Trys applies her expertise in real-world settings. She is a Research Consultant for More in Common, a non-profit dedicated to bridging social divides, and previously served as a Research Fellow for the Listen First Project, which promotes social cohesion through national campaigns and strategies.

Learn more about her work at www.trystanloustau.com.

Anandita Sabherwal (Ana) (she/her) is a postdoctoral research associate at the Behavioral Science for Policy Lab (Princeton University) and the Social Influence and Social Change lab (Boston College). Her research focusses on the system-individual nexus of climate action. Her work asks: How do institutions influence individual psychology and behavior on complex collective challenges like climate change? How can individuals be empowered to affect change in these very institutions? And how can individual and institutional efforts be coordinated to drive transformative change?

To seek these answers, Ana’s research focusses on key psychological and behavioral concepts of social influence, behavioral spillover, organizational culture, and collective action. She hopes that her work can help catalyze real-world change, especially aiding organizations, policymakers, and activists. 

Ana obtained a PhD in Psychological and Behavioral Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. Funded by a PhD scholarship from the Grantham Research Institution on Climate Change and Environment, her thesis investigated social and societal influences on climate action. Previously, she completed an MPhil at Cambridge University (UK), where she was supported by a Cambridge Trust Scholarship and researched the Greta Thunberg Effect.

For more, see https://anandita-sabherwal.weebly.com.

Alix (she/her) is a sixth-year PhD student in Basic and Applied Social Psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center. Her work investigates the roles of ideology, imagination, and identity in political group membership and social change movements, particularly focusing on the left wing. Broadly, she is interested in how people think about what is politically possible, and how imaginative processes and norms about political possibility influence political and economic ideology. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Northeastern University and M.A. in Psychology from the CUNY Graduate Center, where she is currently pursuing a graduate concentration in Qualitative Research Methods.

Megan (she/her) is currently a junior pursuing a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Environmental Studies. She is interested in studying social motivations for sustainable behavior as well as the impact of norms on widespread social change. Within the SISC lab, she will be working on her Senior Honors Thesis, which focuses on motivating relational organizing behavior and the effect of pro-environmental behavior signalling on the reduction of meat consumption. 

Paulina Rincon (she/her) is a Junior at Boston College studying Psychology and Studio Art aiming to go to law school after undergrad. Her research interests include immigration law, sports psychology, and how misrepresentations in the media can lead to biases. 

Abigail Osborne (she/her) is a junior at BC studying psychology and political science. She is interested in studying the intersection of social influence on decision making and group dynamics and how different institutions, most especially political, can act as significant drivers or deterrents to change.