Ivy Tan is a PhD candidate in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland (UQ), supervised by Professor Barbara Masser, Dr Rachel Thorpe, and Dr Theresa Scott. Her doctoral research examines the experiences and psychosocial impact of permanent deferral among older blood donors. She holds a Bachelor of Psychological Science (First Class Honours) and brings practical experience to her research through her role as a Research Assistant at The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood (Lifeblood), alongside her work as an Academic Tutor at UQ. Ivy has presented early findings from her PhD at the 2025 Australian Psychological Society - Psychology and Ageing Interest Group Conference, where she was awarded Best Presentation by a Higher Degree Research Student, and at the 2025 Lifeblood Student Symposium, where she received the People’s Choice Award.