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. 

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Begüm graduated from Barnard College, with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Statistics. She is broadly interested in how individuals learn from the decisions they have made and how those affect their future decisions. She enjoys traveling, finding good music spots in the city, and photography. Being new to Los Angeles, she is excited to get used to being an outdoors person. 

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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. 

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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.

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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!

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Jelka received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Belgrade (Serbia) and is currently completing a PhD in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford (UK). Her PhD research aims to understand the role of emotions in the context of intergroup relations and conflict, with a particular focus on empathy. More specifically, she is interested in mapping the characteristics of social environments that might generate intergroup empathy biases and their downstream consequences, such as intergroup neglect and aggression. Outside the lab, you can find Jelka either wrestling with Portuguese grammar, enjoying a cup of coffee or both.

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Dan is a third year undergraduate student at USC, majoring in psychology. He is interested in understanding the processes of attribution and self-perception, as well as how those processes influence social interactions and behavior. In his free time, he is an avid sports fan, he likes to go on hikes, and he has been learning how to draw.

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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! 

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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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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!

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