I am a psychology and information science (with a concentration in data science) double major, and my primary interest is decision-making and modeling using both algorithms and qualitative data. For example, I am constantly interested in the pathing of elevators — it's the perfect example of data science and psychology intersecting. How do you tell an elevator which floor to prioritize if it needs to run in the fastest order and in a way that frustrates the least people? Think about a 50-story building with a CEO who wants to be picked up within two minutes of pressing a button on floor 50. Meanwhile, maintenance on the first floor needs to be delivered first to any problem on any floor. Now, there's an interpersonal aspect mixed into the algorithm. Beyond logical prioritization, I am also interested in decision-making impacted by subliminal biases, ingroup vs outgroup alignment, and cognitive dissonance.

What is your academic passion?