Zyra Evangelista is a Research Associate at the University of Glasgow. 

Zy completed their master's and doctorate degrees in psychology at the University of Glasgow. Their PhD research focused on improving LGBT+ inclusion in Higher Education. It was supported by a Newton Fund grant and involved a mixed-method, cross-country comparative assessment of the campus climate for LGBT+ university students in the UK and Philippines.

Zy was awarded the Prize for Research Work on Gender Identity and Sexual orientation Issues to Combat Discrimination by Padova University CUG (May 2022), shortlisted for the Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences Impact Award (April 2022), a finalist at the University of Glasgow 3-minute thesis competition (March 2022) and was Highly Commended for the PsyPAG Rising Researcher Award (2020).

Research interests

• LGBT+ campus climates
• anti-LGBT+ prejudice and discrimination
• LGBT+ inclusion and representation in higher education, sports

Research collaborations

• Lived Experiences of Gender and Sexual Minorities in Higher Education in Vietnam
• Primary Investigators: Dr Boon Han Koh (University of East Anglia) and Trinh Thi Thuy Lien (Vin University)
• Funded by the British Council Going Global Partnerships – Gender Equality Fund (£24,852)

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Newton Fund PhD grant (ID #332415646) under the Newton-Agham partnership (Newton-CHED PhD Scholarship Programme)

• Funded by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Philippine Commission on Higher Education and delivered by the British Council

MSc Psychological Studies dissertations

2022

• An exploration of the relationship among shame, pride, identity, and the mental health of LGBTQ+ populations and how this has been affected by the closure of queer spaces in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Bizarre love triangle: Exploring the meaning of Sternberg’s Triangle of Love and interacting societal factors on the experience of queer people in love
• The lived experiences of men attempting emotional expression

2023

• Exploring the moderating role of government support in the experience of discrimination and life satisfaction of LGBTI people
• Chinese psychology students' perceptions of LGBT+ individuals and the impact of their perceptions on attitudes toward LGBT+ issues
• Unveiling perspectives and experiences: Chinese students as LGBT+ allies
• How do LGBT employees in the NHS perceive and experience LGBT networks?
• Epidemic of loneliness and anger: Exploring the barriers to students experiencing a strong sense of belonging at university
• An exploration into women’s experiences of hormonal contraception in relation to their wellbeing, with specific focus on sexual wellbeing: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study

Zy was an Assistant Professorial Lecturer at the Department of Psychology, De La Salle University - Manila, Philippines (2014-2017). They taught various undergraduate courses:

• Research Methods (Directed Readings and Research in Psychology)
• Introduction to Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Psychology of Learning
• Cognitive Psychology
• Theories of Personality

Prizes, awards & distinctions

• 2022: Prize for Research Work on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Issues to Combat Discrimination (University of Padua Comitato Unico di Garanzia (CUG))

Selected international presentations

• 2022: COST Summer School and Conference on LGBTQI+ Methodologies (Royal Holloway, University of London, UK)
• 2022: Groups, Identities & Health Research Group International Conference on Social Identity and Health (ICSIH-5) (Nottingham Trent University, UK)
• 2021: British Psychological Society Division of Academics, Researchers, and Teachers in Psychology Annual Conference (Virtual Conference)
• 2019: European Association of Social Psychology RKST Workshop: Building an LGBT European Social Psychology (ISCTE-IUL, Lisbon, Portugal)
• 2018: British Psychological Society Psychology of Sexualities 20th Anniversary Conference 1998-2018: Reflecting Back, Looking Forwards (London, UK)

Supplementary

• Shortlisted for the Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences Impact Award (2022) Finalist at the University of Glasgow 3-minute thesis competition (2022) Highly Commended for the PsyPAG Rising Researcher Award (2020) PhD research cited in the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies proposal for the first anti-LGBT+ discrimination policy in Philippine Higher Education (2020)

Zy is currently the Book Review Editor for the Psychology of Sexualities Review. They previously served as the PsyPAG representative for the British Psychological Society Psychology of Sexualities Section (2020-2022) and British Psychological Society Education and Training Board (2021-2022), inaugural PsyPAG Workshops Subcommittee Chair (2021-2022).

Outside of academia, Zy is a trustee for LGBT Health and Wellbeing, a See Me Proud LGBT Community Champion and a founding member of the LGBT+ basketball group, the Rainbow Glasgaroos.