Our team

Huidi Yuan is a doctoral student in the Cognition program working with Boaz Keysar. She received her B.A. from the University of Richmond in 2024 and her M.A. from the University of Chicago in 2025, where she also joined Boaz's lab. Before starting her Ph.D., she worked as a research assistant in Lusha Zhu's Lab of Neuroeconomics at Peking University. Huidi's research interests include how different aspects of language shape social perception, behavior, and decision-making, such as which language is being used in context and the particular wording someone encounters.

Claire is a doctoral student in the Cognition program working with Boaz Keysar. She received her B.A. in Psychology with minors in Cognitive Science and Chinese from Carleton College in Spring 2021. After college, she worked as a project coordinator and lab manager for the Cognition, Learning, and Development Lab under Nicole McNeil. Claire's research interests broadly include the interplay between language context and cognitive processes in shaping the conceptual understanding that underlies the decision-making process.

Louisa is a doctoral student in the Cognition program working with Boaz Keysar. She received her B.A. in Cognitive Science in Spring 2021 from the University of California, Berkeley. Louisa is broadly interested in exploring the influence of language on perception and behavior. She is particularly interested in how verbal and visual communication relate to power, negotiation, and decision-making.

Seokhwa received her B.A. in English Language (Linguistics) and Literature, with a minor in Psychology at Yonsei University in South Korea. Her research interests lie in how bilingualism affects our emotions, decisions and behavior.

Jean is a psychology major at The University of Hong Kong. She has a passion for research in areas including multilingualism, and how autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects children's cognitive abilities such as learning and decision-making. She is also interested in researching how language modality creates different effects on decision making. Outside the lab, you can find her watching films and learning languages (inefficiently).

Alisha is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and Business Economics at the University of Chicago. She is passionate about studying decision-making, particularly with financial applications to consumer and investor behavior, and is interested in the intersections between language, behavior, and cognition. Her research interests primarily focus on framing, and how the nuances of language can drive both optimal and irrational decisions. In her free time, you can find Alisha dancing Kathak, scrapbooking, or exploring cafes.

Engelina is an undergraduate student majoring in Public Policy and Cognitive Science. Passionate about the intersection between behavior and policy, she's interested in how people's backgrounds and experiences with language shape their biases, perceptions, and decisions. In her free time, Engelina enjoys reading, playing piano and viola, lamenting the passage of time, and exploring.

Rustom is an undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Science and Economics at the University of Chicago. When he's not exploring how the mind creates reality through biological, psychological, and philosophical lenses, Rustom can be found scaling mountains, writing poems, and gazing lovingly into tide pools. He also enjoys cooking and playing board games with friends and family.

Max is an undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Science and Business Economics at the University of Chicago. His research interests lie in behavioral economics and how cultural or lingual differences can influence cognition, decision making, and negotiation in group settings. In his free time, Max enjoys taking care of plants, ice skating, baking, and working out.

Kristina is an undergraduate student majoring in Economics, currently studying at the University of Chicago. She is passionate about exploring decision-making and behavioral science, particularly their economic applications to consumer behavior and policy design. Her research interests center on how framing, context, and linguistic nuance shape financial judgment and strategic reasoning. In her free time, Kristina enjoys playing tennis, skiing, reading, and solo traveling.

Associate Professor, University of Trento

Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter