Lu Gao

Research

Lu began her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Washington in Fall 2025. Raised in China, she earned a B.S. in Psychology from Beijing Normal University and an M.A. in Psychology from New York University. Her research interests focus on how individual and cultural factors shape adolescents’ social media behaviors and their impacts on mental health. Before joining UW, she examined how empathy and social exclusion experiences influence bystanders’ aggressive tendencies in cyberbullying and investigated how social achievement goals impact digital stress and affective responses to social media feedback. In her free time, she enjoys visiting museums, watching musicals, reading fanfiction, and doing DIY projects.