Hi, I’m Dr. Isabelle Tay

I'm a psychologist and athlete wellbeing advocate passionate about improving health, resilience and performance through a psychological lens.

2018 - present

Researcher

Stanford University

I am a Researcher at Stanford University's Cohen Lab, where I specialize in the development and testing of psychological interventions aimed at enhancing health and performance. I hold a Ph.D. in Developmental and Psychological Sciences and an MA in Psychology from Stanford, and my research focuses on how individuals can thrive in the face of adversity.

Explore My Research

2023- Present

Department Lead for Safeguarding

World DanceSport Federation

At the World Dancesport Federation - home to 132,489 athletes, I direct the development and implementation of a comprehensive safeguarding policy to protect athletes from harassment and abuse. I’ve conducted multiple educational workshops and led panel discussions on the physical and psychological implications of harassment and abuse, and ways in which we can prevent and address these issues.

See Me in Action

Former Professional Athlete & National Coach

Prior to my PhD, I was a professional dancesport athlete and coach. Some of my athletic awards including winning the German Open Championships (RS Latin), and the Asian Continental Championships. I’ve competed in over 16 countries and won 15+ international competitions. This experience has informed my research on the interplay between peak performance and psychological wellbeing.

Education

PhD I Stanford University

Developmental & Psychological Sciences, 2023

MA I Stanford University

Psychology, 2022

BA I New York University

Psychology (Summa Cum Laude), 2017

Academic Awards

Doris Aaronson Award for Outstanding Departmental Research, New York University, 2017
John and Julia Lindsey Research Scholar for the Academic Year, New York University, 2016
Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund Recipient, New York University, 2016
Dean’s List for all academic semesters, New York University

Values & Skills

CURIOSITY

SCIENTIST &

DATA ANALYST

Social, developmental, and educational psychologist
Experiment and Survey design
Statistical Analyses (Inferential statistics, Dimension reduction)
Psychometrics
Data visualization (R/ggplot)
Qualitative data content analyses

HEALTH

SPEAKER &

EDUCATOR

Talk topics include psychological wellbeing, motivation, resilience, and safe sport (protection from harassment and abuse)
Curriculum design and teaching: psychology, interventions, peak performance
DanceSport coach to over 600 students
Over 12 years of teaching and mentoring experience

COLLABORATIOn

LEADER &

ORGANIZER

Policy writing and implementation
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Certified Safeguarding Officer in Sports
ASOIF Women’s Lead Sport Certificate
Organizing committee for multiple World Championships in DanceSport
Event safeguarding officer and medical delegate (WDSF) at Olympic Games Paris 2024

CREATIVITY

DESIGNER &

INNOVATOR

Interdisciplinary researcher in intervention science
UX/UI design, graphic design and video editing to create engaging digital experiences
Exploring AI and LLMs to enhance user experiences and support social causes