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

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 study loneliness and social connection.

Broadly speaking, I'm interested in how we connect with others, what gets in the way, and why. My work investigates social connection across three levels: environmental structures, behavioral dynamics, and intrapersonal cognitive processes. By looking at these layers together, I explore how loneliness disrupts our social lives from the outside in, and what we can do about it.

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