Biography

Dr. Stephanie SZETO serves as an Assistant Professor at the Felizberta Lo Padilla Tong School of Social Sciences, Saint Francis University. She obtained her PhD in Psychology from the University of Salford, United Kingdom. As a media psychologist with exposure to diverse cultures, she integrates social cognition and cultural perspectives in her interdisciplinary research. Her work explores how social media use influences identity motives, including pro-environmental identity and behaviours. 

Education

• PhD, University of Salford
• BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Salford

Professional Qualifications / Memberships

• Chartered Psychologist, The British Psychological Society
• Associate Fellow, The British Psychological Society 
• Member, Society for Personality and Social Psychology 
• Member, International Council of Psychologists 

Teaching

Courses taught:

1. SSC103 Introduction to Psychology
2. SSC204 Psychological Wellness
3. PSY304 Social Psychology
4. PSY402 Counselling Psychology
5. PSY407 Research Thesis in Psychology

Research

Research Interest:

• Social media, identity motives, pro-environmental identity and behaviours

Selected Publications

• Szeto, S., Au, A.K.Y., Cheng, S.K.L., (2024). Support from social media during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. Behavioral Sciences, 14(9), 759. 
• Leung, A.Y.M., Parial, L., Szeto, S., Koduah, O.A. (2022). Understanding the role of financial health literacy in old age: A scoping review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(6), e3921-e3933. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.14101.  
• Szeto, S., Poon, C., & Tang, A. (2020). Decoding Internet rumours in the twenty-first Century: An interdisciplinary examination of social media. In S. Lam (Ed.), New Media Spectacles and Multimodal Creativity in a Globalised Asia: Art, Design and Activism in the Digital Humanities Landscape (pp. 25-49). Springer: Singapore.
• Klein, R. A., Vianello, M., Hasselman, F., Adams, B. G., Adams, R. B., Alper, S., Aveyard, M., Axt, J. R., Babalola, M. T., Bahník, Š., Batra, R., Berkics, M., Bernstein, M. J., Berry, D. R., Bialobrzeska, O., Binan, E. D., Bocian, K., Brandt, M. J., Busching, R., … Nosek, B. A. (2018). Many labs 2: Investigating variation in replicability across samples and settings. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 443–490. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245918810225

Research Grants

• PI, Faculty Development Scheme (FDS), Research Grants Council (RGC), HKD588,693.00, “Motives for constructing a pro-environmental identity: a mixed methods sequential exploratory investigation”, (2025-2026).
• Co-I, Faculty Development Scheme (FDS), Research Grants Council (RGC), HKD603,275.00, "Generative AI driven text-based chatbot for mental health screening", (2025-2026). 
• Co-I, Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service Choi Hung Community Centre for Senior Citizen, HKD223,111.00, "Evaluation study on Meeting on the Rainbow: Virtual social club for the socially isolated carer in the community", (2023 - ongoing). 
• Co-I, Institutional Development Grant (IDG), HKD 100,000.00, "Cultivating Positive and Inclusive Education in CIHE: Integrating Positive Psychology and Universal Design Learning", (2023 - ongoing). 
• Co-I, Institutional Strategic Grant (ISG), HKD 488,996.50, "Preparing for success: Scale validation in program evaluation research in higher education", (2023 - ongoing). 

Community Participation and Achievement / Public Service

• Reviewer, Frontiers in Psychology