I study the computational and neural processes that humans use to filter and distill all of the complexity in their social world into adaptive social inferences. Using a computational psychiatry approach, my research also examines how these social learning and inference mechanisms diverge in people with anxiety and depression who are particularly impacted by social information and uncertainty. My research goals are to 1) neurally map the core cognitive mechanisms of social inference, 2) identify how social learning pathways are altered by psychopathology, 3) test whether computationally phenotyping with social task batteries can meaningfully differentiate psychiatric profiles, and 4) study the relationship between social behavior and mental health in the digital era. To investigate this space, my research combines game theory with fMRI, eyetracking, pupillometry, Reinforcement Learning, and Bayesian learning models.  

In my off time, I’m thinking and writing about our relationship with AI and technology which is increasingly shaping our social landscape and mental health.