Ariel Tan

Guicheng “Ariel” Tan is a Ph.D. student and presidential scholar at Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a researcher, Ariel is interested in the role of cultural integration in people’s social and cognitive development. Her previous work includes biculturalism in Chinese student adjustments, mental health challenges for international students, and professional support for international educators. Before joining Harvard, she was a lab manager at the University of California, Irvine, under the mentorship of Dr. Susanne Jaeggi. At the Working Memory and Plasticity Lab, she managed NIA studies on learning, memory, and brain plasticity. Outside of doing research, Ariel has over 6 years of experience implementing educational programs, leading assessment and DEI efforts, overseeing crisis management, and training student leaders at different universities. Ariel received her B.S. in Psychology with Distinctions from University of California, San Diego in 2015 and M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from New York University in 2019.