During my studies at Flinders University, I was fortunate enough to land my third-year psychology placement in the Forensic and Clinical Cognition Lab, an experience I found both interesting and motivating. I am excited to join the Cognitive and Clinical Curiosity Lab (within the FACCL) to complete my Honours program in 2026, under the supervision of Dr Victoria Bridgland.

My thesis aims to investigate how using AI chatbots for emotional support affects people’s mental health. I’m especially interested in how people use AI to cope with emotions, whether they use it in adaptive ways (like problem-solving) or maladaptive ways (like escapism or relying on the chatbot for reassurance). I also want to understand why some people benefit while others become more dependent, by looking at traits like loneliness and intolerance of uncertainty, as well as features of AI like anthropomorphism and sycophancy.