Meet Our Lab
LAB DIRECTOR
Alin Coman
Alin is a Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, with a joint appointment between the Psychology Department and the School of Public and International Affairs. A native of Romania, Alin obtained his B.A. from Babes-Bolyai University, where he majored in Experimental Psychology. Defying the odds, and being completely uninformed about the grad school application process in the United States, he applied to only one department, the New School for Social Research (The New School), from which he graduated in 2010 with a Ph.D. in Social, Cognitive, & Developmental Psychology. It’s where he learned to overcome disciplinary boundaries in answering research questions. After a brief stint as a postdoc at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, he joined the Psychology Department at Princeton University, where he currently directs the Cognition in Collectives Lab. Here, he advocates for a similarly interdisciplinary approach to answering research questions with his students and collaborators.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Ari Dyckovsky
Ari is a Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology at Princeton University, a Centennial Fellow in the Natural Sciences and Engineering, and a Graduate Research Fellow at the National Science Foundation. His research focuses on collective psychological processes in large-scale social networks. He uses a psychologically grounded, technologically advanced approach to study the emergence of identity, value, and resilience in online communities (e.g., blockchains and social media). He started his undergraduate studies in Mathematics & Computer Science at Stanford University before spending several years building enterprise software companies as an entrepreneur. Ari holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Denver, where he co-founded the ongoing Application Statement Feedback Program. Outside of his scientific endeavors, Ari likes to watch hockey, play classical guitar, and read science fiction novels.
Gracielle Li
Gracielle (grey-shül) is a Ph.D. Student in Psychology at Princeton University and works in the Cognition in Collectives Lab. Originally from Davao City, Philippines, she moved to the Central Coast of California in 2014. She is interested in exploring the relationship between intergroup relations within the socio-political context, parasocial relationships, rhetoric and information dissemination, as well as identity and attitude formation. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2023 with undergraduate degrees in Psychology, Political Science, and Legal Studies and a minor in Human Rights. In her spare time, Gracielle enjoys hanging out with friends, going on hikes, exploring nature, engaging in pop culture and fashion, and traveling to different parts of the world!
LAB MEMBERS
Jordana Composto
Jordana is a Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology at Princeton University. Her research interests include pro-social decision-making, social norms, and organizational behavior. In the Coman lab, Jordana studies group processes that improve information spread and group decisions to break cultures of silence. Prior to joining Princeton, Jordana was a Business Consultant in the finance and consumer industries and a Research Coordinator and Data Scientist at Saint Joseph’s University, where she worked on a range of projects related to adult and baby sleep. She received her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in Quantitative Social Science and Environmental Studies.
Naomi Vaida
A native of Ireland and Romania, Naomi is a Ph.D. Candidate at Princeton University, in the Joint Degree Program in Psychology and Social Policy. She studies the cognitive science of storytelling: how people understand stories, how stories spread in social networks and how they shape stereotypes of marginalized groups. Current projects combine experimental design, social network analysis and behavioral economics. Naomi earned her B.A. in Psychology from Trinity College, the University of Dublin in Ireland, ranking top of her class. Prior to her Ph.D., Naomi completed research in a variety of labs, including as an Amgen Scholar at the University of Cambridge. Outside of research, she spends too much time daydreaming and enjoying chocolate.
Rose Guingrich
Rose is a Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology and the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, a Graduate Research Fellow at the National Science Foundation, and a Social Impact Fellow at All Tech is Human. Her research focuses on theory of mind and human-AI interaction. She uses a mixed method approach to study the social impacts of ascribing characteristics of a humanlike mind to social artificial intelligence agents such as chatbots. She founded a graduate student organization called ETHICOM, through which she organized a Princeton-Google workshop and has hosted cross-departmental seminars on ethical AI. In addition to her research, Rose is a creative who appreciates all forms of art. Her favorite brain-break activity is watching TV shows with her boyfriend and two cats, Peanut and Kiwi.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Faith Best
Faith is a third-year undergraduate in Computer Science at Princeton University. She is minoring in Statistics and Machine Learning. In the lab, she assists with conducting big data analyses and developing data visualizations related to social media and cryptocurrency exchange data. Outside of academics, Faith enjoys swimming and watching movies with happy endings.
Tai Sanh Nguyen
Tai is a third-year undergraduate in Computer Science at Princeton University minoring in Mathematics. His research interests range from theoretical computer science (with a focus on streaming algorithms) to computer systems (with particular interest in distributed systems). In the lab, he assists with building software infrastructure for interactive network experiments. Outside of academia and work, Tai enjoys playing ping pong, chess, and Valorant.
LAB AFFILIATES
Diego Reinero
Diego is a MindCORE Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and a Visiting Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Psychology Department at Princeton University, where he was a Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow from 2021-23. His interdisciplinary research investigates how people's moral and political views change through conversations and social networks, and why such changes can be so difficult. He employs a wide range of methods including group-based behavioral experiments and big data analytics. Diego holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from New York University and a B.S. in both Psychology and Business from Skidmore College. When not doing science, Diego continues his dreams of playing professional soccer and plays in competitive leagues around NYC.
Travis Frederick
Travis is a Ph.D. Candidate in Security Studies at Princeton University. He received his B.A. in International Studies from The Ohio State University in 2014 and his M.S. in International Affairs from Georgia Tech in 2017. His research examines the impact of strategic narratives on collective memory and national security in Russia. Travis has worked at the US Embassy in Moscow, the NASA HQ History Office, and completed fieldwork in Russia, Estonia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Argentina. Travis was a graduate fellow in the Princeton Cognitive Science Program and a visiting researcher at the Center for East European and International Studies in Berlin.
LAB ALUMNI
Kara Enz was a graduate student from 2017-24.
Roh Majumdar was a graduate student from 2019-24. She is currently a User Experience Researcher at Slack.
Casey McMahon was a research specialist from 2020-22. She is currently a Ph.D. Student in Organizational Behavior at Columbia University.
Madalina Vlasceanu was a graduate student from 2016-21. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Environmental Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University’s School of Sustainability.
Jeremy Yamashiro was a postdoc from 2019-21. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at University of California Santa Cruz.
Jacob Goebel was a research specialist from 2018-20. He is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Social Psychology at The Ohio State University.
Janet Pauketat was a postdoc from 2017-20. She is currently a Research Fellow at Sentience Institute.
Sherry Wu was a graduate student from 2013-19. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Management & Organizations at Anderson School of Management, University of California Los Angeles.
Joanna Sterling was a postdoc from 2017-18. She is currently a Senior Staff Research Lead at Meta.
Ajua Duker was a research specialist from 2015-17. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at New York University.
Andra Geana was a graduate student from 2010-15. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Providence College.