Hi! I’m an applied data scientist. I build experiments and statistical models to find the difference-that-makes-a-difference in behavior, beliefs, and decisions.
I did my PhD in cognitive science at Yale with Frank Keil, intending to study the illusion of explanatory depth. Instead, I ended up studying what makes people so smart, why they often don’t seem that way to each other, and how that applies to real world problems. Prior to that, I spent a few years doing youth development with the US Peace Corps in Kazakhstan and teaching English in Russia.
Things I get excited about: data, puzzles, theory, statistical methods, human learning, good writing, philosophy of science, social network topologies & their influence on cumulative culture, “the wisdom of crowds” / Condorcet’s Jury Theorem / informational vs. social conformity, the spread of (mis)information, languages, and funky bass. Also kettlebells.
past: postdoc @UMich | PhD @Yale | MAPSS @UChicago | RPCV @USPeaceCorps | Philosophy & History of Science @stjohnscollege