LAB MEMBERS

PhD student

DANIELLE GOLDWERT

Danielle is a second year Ph.D. student in the Collective Cognition Lab at NYU. Her research lies at the intersection of social psychology and global climate change, with interests including social norms, communication, and social change. In her work, she investigates how psychological, sociopolitical, and cultural factors influence public perception and behavior towards climate change, and how this understanding can drive more effective climate action. In 2021, Danielle received a BA from the University of Miami, where she double majored in Psychology and Studio Art. Outside of the lab, Danielle is passionate about painting, rock climbing, backpacking, and stop motion animation.

PhD student

MICHAEL BERKEBILE-WEINBERG

Mike is a sixth year Ph.D. student in the Collective Cognition Lab at NYU. His research focuses on the interplay of individual and systemic factors in social cognition. He is interested in how collective representations propagate via AI algorithms and manifest in natural language, and how collective cognition leads to the emergence of systemic discrimination. Mike graduated with a BA in psychology and a minor in cognitive science from University of California, San Diego. Outside the lab, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and son exploring Brooklyn, and cooking up new recipes in the kitchen.

PhD student

EVELINA BAO

Evelina is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Motivation Lab and the Collective Cognition Lab at NYU. Her research interests broadly lie in the effect of emotions on individual and collective actions and belief updating. With her computer science background, she plans to use computational methods to inform researchers of better ways to design interventions that elicit emotions and promote collective actions and social changes. Evelina received her BA in Psychology and BS in Computer Science from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles in 2022. Outside the lab, Evelina loves concerts, photography, and good food.

PhD student

KATIE MASON

Katie is a second year Ph.D. student in Social Psychology at New York University working under the primary mentorship of Dr. John Jost and supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. She is a Spring 2021 graduate of Purdue University with majors in Psychology and Political Science and a minor in Spanish. After graduation, she was the lab manager for the Social Cognition of Social Change lab at Purdue University under the guidance of Dr. Erin Hennes. Her research interests broadly lie within the psychology of social justice. She is interested in why people are resistant to positive social change, instead defending flawed systems, and how scientists, politicians, the media, and universities can encourage change that promotes equity. Outside of the lab, Katie is a dancer and likes to read, listen to music, and explore the city.

PhD student

NICK FENDINGER

Nick is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Politics and Intergroup Relations Lab and the Collective Cognition Lab at NYU. His research focuses on how social class shapes our attention and ability to infer the internal states of others (theory of mind). He is also interested in researching attitudes and perceptions of societal inequality. Outside the lab, Nick enjoys cooking and baking new recipes, collecting and listening to vinyl records, and exploring Prospect Park. Nick graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in English literature from Miami University (OH) in 2019. Prior to starting graduate school, he worked as a laboratory manager at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Dr. Keely Muscatell.

MA student

KAY (KE) FANG

Kay is a Master’s student in Individualized Study at the NYU Gallatin School. His research focuses on the polarization and synchronization of group-level memories, emotions, and attitudes that lead to collective action. He is especially interested in using novel ways to expand traditional social psychology research by bringing in theories and methods from macro-level sociology and communication studies as well as neuroscience. Before joining NYU, Kay received his Bachelor of Management from Lanzhou University in China, where he studied accounting and researched organizational psychology. He also writes popular science articles in Chinese to promote the wise use of scientific research. Outside of research, he enjoys pour-over coffee, going to museums, and drawing.

Lab Manager

SARAH MUGHAL

Sarah is a Junior Laboratory Associate in the Collective Cognition Lab and the Social Identity and Morality Lab at NYU. She received her BA and MA in Psychology at NYU, so she often finds herself accidentally walking into Bobst library instead of lab if she hasn’t had her coffee yet. Her research interests include the psychology of social media, discrimination and bias in AI/ML methods, and how psychiatric disorders like ADHD or anxiety affect social interactions and experiences. Outside of lab, Sarah can be found writing in museums, marathoning video games, or meticulously crocheting tiny socks for plushies.

Research assistant

ANGEL XING

Angel is a junior Psychology major at NYU and a research assistant at the Collective Cognition Lab. She is mainly interested in Social Psychology and Personality, and is specifically passionate about topics surrounding the self as well as topics pertaining to group influences. Outside of her academic pursuits, Angel enjoys taking dance classes at her favorite studios in New York.

Research assistant

RUNJI (RANDY) GAO

Runji(Randy) is a sophomore student majoring in Economics and Data Science, with a minor in Psychology. With an economics and data background, he is deeply influenced by the power of data analysis and machine learning. Randy is interested in studying how quantitative analysis and AI algorithms affect people’s cognition about false beliefs, especially in the context of behavioral economics. In his spare time, Randy enjoys cooking, reading, cycling, and playing video games.

Research assistant

YASH PATEL

Yash is a junior at NYU majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology and Chemistry. He's interested in social cognition and neuroscience, especially the effects our identity has on our decision making, cognition, and fixations. Alongside his role as a research assistant in the Collective Cognition Lab, Yash is also an undergraduate researcher in a developmental biology lab. Outside of research, he enjoys reading old books, cycling around Manhattan, and cooking.

Visiting postdoc

LINA KOPPEL

Lina is a postdoctoral researcher at Linköping University and a visiting researcher in the Social Identity and Morality Lab and Collective Cognition Lab at NYU. Her research mainly focuses on the role of affect in everyday decision making, such as how pain and touch influence risk taking, intertemporal choice, and prosocial choice. She is also interested in metascience and, more recently, pro-environmental behavior. Lina obtained a Ph.D. in Medical Science from Linköping University in 2020.

Visiting postdoc

MATTHIAS HUDECEK

Matthias is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Regensburg (Germany) and a visiting researcher in the Collective Cognition Lab at NYU. His research focuses on the psychology of digitization and modern technologies, mainly AI and mobility. His aim is to create excellent psychological research to contribute to addressing societal changes that are driven by advancing digitization and the development of AI-based systems. Thus, AI must not be considered as a pure or optimized replacement for humans but should be understood as a supporting tool for human activities.