About
I am currently a fifth year PhD candidate in the Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience Area of the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, working with Dr. Priti Shah in the Basic and Applied Cognition Lab, and with Dr. John Jonides on topics related to applied cognitive psychology. I received my undergraduate training at Purdue University, working with Dr. Sebastien Helie in the Purdue Lab for Computational Cognitive Neuroscience, and Dr. Thomas Redick in the Purdue Applied Cognition Lab. I am a fellow for both the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program and International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE).
In my research I aim to apply an interdisciplinary approach to studying basic and applied cognitive processes. I am broadly interested in higher level cognition and individual differences in desire to engage in critical thinking. I conducted quantatitve and qualitative research in the domains of cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and STEM education. I work on projects funded by organizations such as the Institute for Educational Studies (IES), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Currently, I study how everyday people reason about scientific and statistical concepts presented in news media. I also aim to create long-lasting educational interventions to improve such scientific reasoning skills. I have six years of experience designing and implementing human-subject experiments, with special focus on survey methodolodies. Statistically, I use both frequentisist and Bayesian mathematical models to analyze small and large datasets. I am currently interested in pursuing a postdoctoral or tenure-track position in an area related to cognitive psychology.