The Mesler Lab Team.

Rhiannon MacDonnell Mesler, Lab Director

Rhiannon Mesler is an Associate Professor at the Dhillon School of Business at the University of Lethbridge (Calgary Campus) and a member of the Institute for Consumer and Social Well-Being. Her research on prosocial consumer behavior and consumer well-being has been featured in top (FT50) journals including Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, and Journal of Marketing Research. Rhiannon holds a PhD in Management from the University of Calgary, an MSc in Psychology from the University of Calgary, and a BA in Psychology from the University of Waterloo. She also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta. Rhiannon currently serves as Chair of the Government of Alberta’s Power and Natural Gas Consumer Panel. She has served as a Board Trustee for the City Centre for Charity Effectiveness Trust at City, University of London, the United Way of Calgary and Area, and Classroom Champions International where she now conducts the program evaluation and impact research.

Teaching

Zandria-Lynn (Zandria) Bates

Research Assistant
Zandria Bates has been part of the Mesler Lab team since May 2021. Her work to date focuses on scarcity, self-control, personality, and food-related behaviors. Zandria has co-authored two published articles in Food Quality and Preference during her time with the lab. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Management with a major in Marketing and a concentration in Socially Responsible Marketing Practices from the University of Lethbridge. Outside of the lab, she has provided marketing services to several Southern Alberta small businesses and non-profits. She aspires to work in the non-profit sector after graduation.
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Yang (Glory) Gao

MITACS Research Intern
Yang Gao has been part of the Mesler Lab team since July 2023 for his MITACS internship. His primary research focuses on social identity and political orientation within consumer behaviour. Yang is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Management (Marketing) at Huazhong Agricultural University. Outside of the lab, Yang has actively participated in field research at the Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy of China Agricultural University and has gained practical experience in client management and conducted feasibility analyses during his internship at the China Development Bank. Yang's ultimate goal is to obtain a PhD and contribute to enhancing consumer well-being in the field of marketing and management.
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Imaan Haider

MITACS Research Intern
Imaan Haider has been part of the Mesler Lab team since May 2023. Her work to date focuses on types of behaviours in response to brand activism and motivation for said behaviours. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Durham University and hopes to continue into a Masters for behavioural science. Outside of the lab, she has worked part time for 4 years in the National Health Service in England, and for the past year has acted as the Welfare Officer for Durham University Desi Society. She aspires to obtain a PhD and work within the field of psychology for public services.
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Yaroslava Volynska

MITACS Research Intern
Yaroslava Volynska has been part of the Mesler Lab team since May 2023 for her MITACS internship. The main focus of her work is studying cancel culture, online disinhibition, and related online behaviors. Yaroslava is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Political Science in her home University (Kharkiv Karazin National University). She is interested in the topics of cooperation between citizens and government, local governments, and NGOs. Outside of the lab, she is continuing her work with Ukrainian non-profits, local communities, and media in the public sector in cooperation with colleagues from Poland and Ukraine. Yaroslava’s goal for the future is to be the part of a large-scale project in decentralization reform as a project manager.
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