OUR LAB

Lab Managers

ADI YAKOEL

ADVA GRUNWALD

Senior Research Associates

ORLY IDAN

Orly Idan is a lecturer in psycholinguistics, language in the context of conflict, and academic research at Reichman University (Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya) and a senior associate researcher at the Psychology of Intergroup Conflict and Reconciliation Lab, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She was a postdoctoral associate at the Salutogenic Research Center and the Conflict Management Program at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, focusing on salutogenic interventions in conflictual settings. Her PhD dissertation from Tel Aviv University focused on resilience sources, socio-emotional self-perceptions, family climate and hopeful thinking among students. She completed her M.A degree in psycholinguistics at Tel Aviv University. Her current research interests and teaching domains focus on the role of linguistic cues in inducing emotions, in particular within the context of intractable conflicts and negotiations; discourse and narrative analysis in the context of conflict and health; a comparison of native and foreign language use relating to conflict, in particular Hebrew and Arabic; and, attitude change in the context of intractable conflicts.

Selected Publications

Ben-David, Y., & Idan, O. (2020). Eyes Wide Shut: Political ideology as a tool of discursive avoidance among Israeli-Jewish students in the context of escalating conflict. Political Psychology. doi: 10.1111/pops. 12702.

Hameiri, B., Idan, O., Nabet, E., Bar-Tal, D., & Halperin, E. (2020). The paradoxical thinking ‘sweet spot’: The role of recipients’ latitude of rejection in the effectiveness of paradoxical thinking messages targeting anti-refugee attitudes in Israel. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 8(1), 266-283.

Idan, O., Halperin, E., Hameiri, B. & Reifen Tagar, M. (2018). A rose by any other name: Subtle linguistic cues reduce anger and increase support for conciliatory policies. Psychological Science, 29(6), 972-983.

ODED ADOMI LESHEM

I'm a political psychologist who has been fascinated by the concept of hope for at least a decade. My interest in hope (and its absence) began in 2012 with my first experimental studies on hope inducement. Since then, I've published a book and numerous articles and book chapters on hope and despair as political phenomena and lectured on hope to a wide range of academic and non-academic audiences. In 2024, I founded the International Hub for Hope Research (ReHOPE) at the Hebrew University's ICR Lab. I serve as a Senior Research Associate at the Hebrew University and teach a new graduate-level course titled: Theoretical, Empirical, and Applied Aspects of Hope. [Personal Page]

Selected Publications

Leshem, O. A., & Halperin, E. (2024). Introducing the Bidimensional Model of Hope and its conceptual and methodological utilities. Frontiers in Psychology.

Leshem (2023), “Hope Amidst Conflict,” Oxford University Press.

Leshem & Halperin, E. (2023), "Threatened by the worst and hoping for the best: Unraveling the relationship between threat, hope, and public opinion during conflict." Political Behavior.

PhD Students

NITZAN ATTIAS

I am a PhD student in Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin and Dr. Meital Balmas-Cohen. I received my BA in Psychology and Communication & Journalism, as well as my MA in Experimental Psychology (direct track), from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. My research focuses on personality intergroup meta-perceptions. Specifically, I seek to identify and explore the particular personality traits that individuals find most troubling when perceived by outgroup members.

Selected Publications

Balmas, M., Attias, N., & Halperin, E (2025). The warm war: The effect of Ukrainian president’s communal personality traits on empathy and pro-social behavior towards the Ukrainians. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 69(4), 627-646.

https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027241258379

MABELLE KRETCHNER

I am a PhD student supervised by Eran Halperin, Julia Elad-Strenger and Sivan Hirsch-Hoefler. I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology and my MA in Social Psychology and intergroup relations from Reichman University. My current research focuses on the emotional underpinning of the political divide, also known as "Affective Polarization" using this knowledge to develop tailored emotional based intervention to combat Affective Polarization and it negative consequences to societies and democracies. I am also part of the international MORES project studies how moral emotions, especially positive ones, contribute to the stabilisation of political identities, and how they, negative ones, trigger division and polarization.

Selected Publications

Halperin, E., Kretchner, M., Hirsch-Hoefler, S., & Elad-Strenger, J. (2024). The affective gap: a call for a comprehensive examination of the discrete emotions underlying affective polarization. Cognition and Emotion, 38(4), 442-450.

Kretchner, M., Elad-Strenger, J., Hirsch-Hoefler, S., Orian-Harel, T., & Halperin, E. (2024). The disappointing (not hateful) divide: Uncovering the negative emotions that underlie affective polarization. OSF Preprints.‏

ILANA USHOMIRSKY

Selected Publications

I'm a PhD student in the Psychology department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin. I received my M.A. in Experimental Psychology, as well as my B.A. in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. My research focuses on intergroup conflicts, in particular, developing and examining psychological intergroup interventions aimed at shifting conflict perpetuating attitudes and perceptions in order to increase support for conflict resolution.

Ushomirsky, I., Leshem, O. A. & Halperin, E. (2023). Ethos of conflict in the international arena: Power predicts expression of threat for security and hope for peace in speeches of leaders of nations in conflict. Political Psychology, 44(6), 1215-1233.

Ushomirsky, I., Hasson, Y., Atia, R., Attias, N., Balmas, M., Endevelt, K., Gur, T., Hameiri, B., Hebel-Sela, S., Leshem, O. A., Malovicki-Yaffe, N., Manekin, D., Perry, A., Porat, R., Saguy, T., Shuman, E., & Halperin, E. (2025). Increasing Perceived Outgroup Heterogeneity Following Exposure to Extreme Violence: an Intervention Tournament In Times of War. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

I am a PhD student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin.

BATYA FEIGIN

I am currently pursuing a PhD at the Hebrew University under the supervision of Prof. Eran Halperin and Dr. Matthew Simonson. I hold a BA in Business and Political Science from The Open University and an MA in International Development from The Hebrew University. My research is driven by a commitment to exploring pathways for enhancing recovery among communities affected by violent collective trauma stemming from political conflict. Specifically, I am studying the communities impacted by the October 7th massacre, with a focus on understanding the political implications of this tragedy and the effects of collective trauma on both individual and collective hope.

SHAY YOOS

I am a PhD candidate in social psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under Prof. Eran Halperin's supervision. My academic background includes a master's degree in Middle Eastern history and a bachelor's in political science and Middle Eastern history from Tel Aviv University. As a peacebuilding practitioner facilitating Israeli-Palestinian women's dialogues, I aim to bridge field experiences with academic research on intergroup relations. I also speak five languages and host podcasts discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from various perspectives.

NAOMI STERNBERG

I am a PhD student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin.

JOSEPHINE GELLERSEN

I am a Political Campaigner, Creative Director, Sneaker Collector, and a PhD student in the Psychology department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Prof. Eran Halperin. I have spent the past decade running political and social campaigns for various parties and organizations both in Israel and abroad. In the next decade, my goal is to merge my professional skills with academic insights to gain a deeper understanding of political and democratic behavior among the masses and to influence it positively.

GIL DICKMANN

I am a PhD student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin and Prof. Asaf Zussman. I received my BA in Economics and Political Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

ADI YAKOEL

I am a PhD student in social psychology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin. I received my M.A in environmental studies from Tel-Aviv University and my B.A in psychology and sustainability from Tel-Hai College. My main field of interest is Environmental Psychology, in particular, understanding and revealing new ways and causes that will motivate groups and individuals to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviours and involvement.

NOGA MOSTOVOY ELZAFAN

I am a Ph.D. student in the direct Ph.D. program in the Psychology Department at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin (HUJI) and Prof. Mark Brandt (Michigan State University). I received my B.A. in PPE (Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics) from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. My main research interests include understanding the psychological processes that drive support for populist and anti-democratic attitudes and behaviors.

ADVA GRUNWALD

I am a PhD student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin.

SIGAL KANOTOPSKY

I am a PhD student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin.

OFIR LUGASSY

MA Students

Born in Rosh Haayin and raised in Northern California, Yarin Hagay Nevel is a recent graduate of UCLA’s Psychology and College Honors Undergraduate Programs, and is a current NIF Justice Ally-in-Residence. After high school, Yarin attended the ‘BINA: Jewish Movement for Social Change’ Mechina in South Tel Aviv, and later oversaw BINA programs centered on social work-oriented volunteering and dual narrative studies as the organization’s Head of International Admissions. In the United States, Yarin was heavily involved in peacebuilding efforts and social psychological research; she was J Street U’s first Mizrahi Israeli Regional Vice President, and the first undergraduate research grantee at the UCLA Initiative to Study Hate, conducting a mirrored study on antisemitism and Islamophobia on American university campuses. Yarin is excited for the incredible opportunity to study within the PICR Lab, and continue researching social identity on the ground.

YARIN HAGAY NEVEL

I am a designer-educator and an MA student in the Conflict Research, Management and Resolution program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Prof. Eran Halperin. In my work, I aim to create transformative learning experiences that provoke critical reflection on the role of design in fostering mutual care and collaboration across humans and species. My academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication and a master’s degree in Industrial Design. I co-founded and co-directed the Post-Anthropocentric Design Laboratory (PADLab) at Shenkar, and Connecting Stations, an independent Israeli-Palestinian bridging design studio, where we develop design-based pedagogy for expanding perspectives. I currently serve as a senior lecturer at the School of Visual Communication at Shenkar and head of Shenkar’s Center for Teaching Excellence.

MICHAL PAUZNER

I am a direct track MA student in Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin. I received my BA in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience from the same university. As a Bedouin Palestinian from the Naqab, my academic journey is deeply influenced by my lived experience within a reality shaped by inequality, cultural transition, and systemic oppression. These experiences have inspired and motivated my interest in understanding how collective pain and social structures shape perceptions, identities, and relations between groups.

LEEN AL-SANA

I am an MA student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin.

HIBA ZHAIKA

Artist In Residence

I am a visual artist, researcher and educator. Having received my BA in Fine Art from the Royal Academy of Art, the Hague, and my MA in Art Education from ArtEZ University of the Arts, Arnhem, I went on to found art science and education collective SimanChe Alama (meaning 'sign' in Hebrew and Arabic). Our work is about bridging cultural and societal abysses through collaborative art and education projects. At the PICR lab, my main focus is on completely re-thinking what the visual environments of schools could look like, especially in areas of protracted conflict.