JCU Psychology Students Making an Impact Through Research

What does it take to turn a classroom question into published psychological research? At John Cabot University in Rome, studying psychology goes beyond understanding human behavior in the classroom. Through faculty mentorship and research opportunities, students can contribute to academic projects, explore real-world questions, and develop skills that support their future studies and careers.

JCU’s Department of Psychological and Social Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts in Psychological Science, with opportunities for students to gain research experience alongside faculty members working across a range of psychological and social science disciplines. Through research assistantships and faculty-led projects, students can learn how academic research develops, from reviewing existing literature and designing studies to analyzing findings and preparing work for publication.

For several JCU psychology students, these opportunities have led to meaningful milestones, including published papers, conference acceptances, and presentations at international academic conferences. Their research explores topics ranging from artificial intelligence and mental health to social robotics, self-compassion, and health inequalities. In this article, students share their experiences, reflect on the role of faculty mentorship, and explain how their research has influenced their academic and professional goals.

From the Classroom to International Conferences

Research can begin with a question raised in class and develop into a much larger academic project. For students Martina Gavioli, Jane Trina, and Rosemary Gutierrez De Velasco, a collaborative project exploring artificial intelligence, social presence, and mental health developed into a paper accepted at the 14th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction (HAI 2026).

The project, titled “Embodiment and Social Presence for Mental Health: A Comparative Study of AI Chatbots and Robots,” examined whether the physical embodiment of an artificial intelligence-based mental health agent influences the social presence and therapeutic alliance experienced by participants. The students contributed to different aspects of the research, from developing the study and interpreting its findings to building a therapeutic robot and preparing the paper for publication.

I collaborated on the project "Embodiment and Social Presence for Mental Health: A Comparative Study of AI Chatbots and Robots", examining whether the embodiment of AI-based mental health agents influences the social presence and therapeutic alliance that participants feel toward the agent. I was involved in the project for three semesters, initially as part of a course and later as a research assistant. I participated in the whole research process, from developing hypotheses and designing the experiment to pilot testing and interpreting the findings. This experience gave me the opportunity to be involved in the entire research process and strengthened my interest in psychological research. Having our work accepted at the 14th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction (HAI 2026) in Osaka this November gave me a great sense of accomplishment and it made me realize that research could be a career path for me.

I was involved in the project "Embodiment and Social Presence for Mental Health: A Comparative Study of AI Chatbots and Robots." Inspired by the growth of virtual mental health tools, our study evaluated whether a physically embodied robot or a chatbot fosters greater social presence and therapeutic alliance during a "Three Good Things" positive psychology exercise given by the therapeutic agent. This project began as part of a Special Topic Psychology class with Professor Keijsers before expanding into a research assistantship and more independent work. Our poster paper was accepted for publication and presentation at the 14th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction (HAI 2026) in Osaka this November. This is my first publication, as well as some of the first research I've ever been involved in. Seeing this project evolve from classroom brainstorming to a full-on conference has been all the more motivating. In fact, this project was the spark for my larger passion for research, which inspired me to start my MSc and continue my career in psychological research.

I worked on the paper “Embodiment and Social Presence for Mental Health: A Comparative Study of AI Chatbots and Robots” while at John Cabot University, which was accepted at the Human-Agent Interaction 2026 conference and publication. I worked on both the robotic building and paper-writing and formatting aspects of the project. I used open-source information and 3D printing technology with a fellow university in Rome to start the build and structure of the Blossom robot, a therapeutic robot designed to test if an embodied AI could create a therapeutic alliance and create effective mental health support. It was a great learning experience on how to collaborate with a team to format information into a paper that would be accepted by an actual professional program.

Paper Reference:
Keijsers, M., Carani, G.G., Gavioli, M., Gürbey, K., Rosas, R.A., & Trina, J. (2026). Embodiment and Social Presence for Mental Health: A Comparative Study of AI Chatbots and Robots. In proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction. Doi: 10.1145/3841580.3845746

Exploring the Connection Between Psychology and Real-World Challenges

Psychological research can also help us better understand the social, economic, and environmental factors that affect people's lives. JCU students Lizi Lekveishvili and Valentina Penzato have contributed to research projects examining health inequalities and the relationship between social conditions and health outcomes.

Their experiences illustrate how psychology and related social sciences can connect academic research with issues that affect communities around the world.

I had the opportunity to participate in Professor Angelo Brandelli Costa's research project concerning the effects of extreme climate events on healthcare access, mental health, and economic stability among people living with HIV in Brazil. While I joined the project at its later stages, I still had the opportunity to collaborate on the manuscript and observe how research papers are tailored to specific academic journals and audiences. I am really grateful to have had the opportunity to participate.

Paper Reference:
Brandelli Costa, A., Graeff Bins-Ely, I., Chaves, L.W., Freeman, K., Lekveishvili, L., et al. The Effects of Extreme Climate Events on Healthcare Access, Mental Health, and Economic Stability Among PLHIV in Brazil.  AIDS Behav (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-026-05325-w

During my psychology undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to work alongside Professor Angelo Brandelli Costa as a Research Assistant in social and health psychology. Primarily, my role focused on authoring the literature reviews, introductions, and conclusions for two manuscripts. Working alongside my mentor was an incredibly inspiring experience; he was a true pillar in my journey who helped me discover my genuine passion for research. This collaboration resulted in one published paper and another accepted for a conference (ICAP 2026) presentation in Florence. As I transition to my Master’s in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience at ‘Università degli studi di Pavia’, I am deeply grateful for his guidance and experience of learning how to meaningfully contribute to science. This experience has allowed me to build a solid foundation for my graduate career and future within research.

Paper Reference:
Brandelli Costa, A., Graeff Bins-Ely, I., Penzato, V., Vaitses Fontanari, A. M., et al. (2025). The Impact of Race, Education, Economic Vulnerability, and Stigma on Viral Load Detectability Among People Living with HIV in Brazil. HIV/AIDS - Research and Palliative Care, 17, 241–249. https://doi.org/10.2147/HIV.S534526

Learning Through Research and Faculty Mentorship

For some students, the research experience begins with curiosity and a willingness to pursue questions that do not have straightforward answers. Rebecca Aist's experience highlights the patience and persistence involved in developing a research project, while Fiona Mishkin's work demonstrates how contributing to a paper can help shape a student's future academic direction.

Both experiences underscore the importance of mentorship and the opportunity to engage with research beyond the classroom.

My name is Rebecca Aist, and I am from Anchorage, Alaska. As a freshman at JCU in 2021, I begged my general psychology professor, Dr. Keijsers, to let me do research with her. She told me to come back in at least a year, something about learning research methods and statistics first, I think. I was eager, though, so every now and then we would meet for coffee and talk about research ideas and questions until, finally, the day came when I knew enough to do research with her. The biggest challenge for me was, and still is, picking one idea. I had so many questions, and we could only focus on one at a time. Since Keijsers’ doctorate was in social robotics, I learned about anthropomorphism, and thus that’s where our curious minds went, too. It was a long, but great journey, showing me how uncertain research is, and how patient one must be.

Paper Reference:
Keijsers, M, Mirabile, F, & Aist, R.A. (2026) Social but not that social: no evidence that robots trigger self-categorization, Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction, doi 10.1145/3846170 https://dl.acm.org/toc/thri/justaccepted 

I am very grateful to JCU, the department, and Professor Petrocchi for the experience I was able to gain through my research assistantship. The project explored the relationship between emotional avoidance and depression, and the factors that could moderate this relationship. We were surprised to find that the only variable that made a difference was self-reassurance/self-compassion, showing the importance of being compassionate towards yourself on your mental health.

Being able to start a project from start to finish and see it through to publication is something that will stick with me forever. Having the opportunity to publish a paper as a first author while being an undergraduate student is a huge accomplishment, and one I am very proud of.

The experience and knowledge I have gained through this assistantship allowed me the opportunity to be selected by the University of Miami to continue doing research related to psychophysiology. In my career, I plan to continue to make a difference in this field and to learn more about the relationship between the mind and the body.

Paper Reference:
Mishkin, F., Cheli, S., Levin, A., Goodwin, M. Y., & Petrocchi, N. (in press). Soothing the Rigid Mind: Self-Reassuring as a Unique Moderator of the Link Between Experiential Avoidance and Depression. Self and Identity. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2026.2753600

Building Research Skills and Exploring What's Next

For these students, contributing to psychological research has meant much more than adding a publication or conference presentation to their academic experience. It has offered the opportunity to investigate questions they care about, collaborate with faculty, develop research skills, and discover new directions for their futures.

Their experiences reflect the value of combining academic study with hands-on research. Whether preparing for graduate school, exploring a career in psychological science, or discovering an interest they had not previously considered, these students demonstrate how research can become an important part of the undergraduate experience.

At John Cabot University, the Department of Psychological and Social Sciences encourages students to deepen their understanding of human behavior while developing the analytical, quantitative, interpersonal, and communication skills that can support a range of academic and professional paths. 

Interested in studying psychology in Rome? Explore JCU’s Department of Psychological and Social Sciences to learn more about the BA in Psychological Science, faculty, and research opportunities available to students.