Hazel T. Chen
PhD student in psychology studying social connection and loneliness.

ABOUT 

Hi, I’m Hazel. I’m a PhD student in psychology at the Social Neuroscience Lab at the University of California, Riverside, where I work with Dr. Brent Hughes to investigate the psychological and neural underpinnings of social connection.

Broadly speaking, I study how we connect with others and what gets in the way.  My work investigates social connection across three levels: environmental structures, behavioral dynamics, and the internal mental maps we use to perceive others. By looking at these layers together, I explore how loneliness disrupts our social lives from the outside in.

Outside of research, I enjoy learning everything about penguins, hunting for the perfect bubble tea, and binge-watching funny animal videos with my husband.