Leor Hackel is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at USC. He completed his B.S. in Neuroscience & Behavior at Columbia University, his Ph.D. in Social Psychology at NYU, and post-doctoral training at Stanford University. After a decade of bouncing between coasts, Leor is excited to be back in his hometown of Los Angeles.

Jacob graduated from Pomona College with a B.A. in Cognitive Science and dual minors in Math and Psychology. He is especially interested in exploring topics of collective cognition, collaborative decision making and reasoning, and synchrony. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, cooking, and music production.

Jean received her B.A. in Neuroscience from Princeton University. She is interested in understanding how people learn about their own abilities and how social comparison and external rewards affect this process. She is currently also studying how closeness develops between people. Outside of research, she loves spending time at the beach, reading, playing badminton, and comedy.

Yi received his B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from New York University. His research interests include moral cognition, person perception and emotion—especially how they interact across different social contexts. Outside the lab, Yi enjoys photography, reading, and a variety of sports. Yi is excited to explore life on the west coast after six years in NYC.

Kira graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in Psychological and Brain Sciences. Her research interests include understanding how people form preferences for other individuals and subsequently make decisions about whether to be prosocial and inclusive towards others. In addition to research, she enjoys ultimate frisbee, trying new restaurants, and playing board games with friends. She is also looking forward to exploring Los Angeles!

Wen-Hsin is a second-year undergraduate student at USC majoring in cognitive science. She is greatly intrigued by patterns of social learning and identities within a social group context. Beyond the lab, her other passions include traveling, enjoying the outdoors, and meeting new people!

Sein is an undergraduate student at USC majoring in Health and Human Sciences with a double minor in Psychology and Theatre. She is interested in social influence and interpersonal processes, specifically in personal principle aspects as to how they could change based on external influence. Outside the lab, she enjoys watching movies, going to the gym, and spending time with her friends.

Varun is a second year undergraduate student at USC studying Neuroscience with a minor in Health Care Studies. He is interested in exploring empathy, and how it impacts a person’s attitude in different social contexts. Outside of the lab, he enjoys producing hip-hop beats, skating with friends, and recently picked up digital art.

Irene is currently a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences. She is interested in people’s perceptions of their social groups and how that may affect their actions; she is also interested in research about education and how students’ experiences affect their learning. Outside of academics, she enjoys skateboarding, swimming, and finding new food places with her friends.

Evans Alvarez is a second-year undergraduate student at USC majoring in cognitive science and minoring in applied data analytics. He is greatly interested in the cognitive foundations for social inferential learning and its role in social connection. Outside the lab, he is passionate about boxing for USC, shooting street photography, and traveling to new places!

Jack is a first-year undergraduate student majoring in cognitive science and psychology. He’s primarily interested in suicidology and crisis intervention, as well as the influence of social learning and choice on said behaviors. Outside of the lab, he’s most likely running, reading, or trying to write something!

Aria is currently a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Psychology/Biotechnology. He is interested in the underlying mechanisms that influence choice and behavior in individuals. He is also intrigued by methodologies that measure brain activity to give quantitative data to a usually qualitative field. Outside of his academic studies, he enjoys playing basketball, and soccer, traveling, and keeping up to date with the latest TV shows!