Primary Research Questions

Our lab investigates the neurocomputational processes that shape how humans connect and interact. We combine computational modeling, functional neuroimaging (fMRI), and intracranial electrophysiology to uncover how the brain represents and responds to social information across multiple timescales and contexts. We are particularly interested in how these processes vary across individuals and are modulated by emotional states, mental health, interpersonal dynamics, and broader societal structures. Our research is guided by questions such as:

What neural and computational processes underlie individual differences in social perception, learning, and decision-making?
What drives variability and alignment in shared emotional experiences?
How do we represent and understand others' internal states (i.e., their emotions, beliefs, goals)?
How do prosocial and antisocial behaviors impact interpersonal relationships?
How does loneliness impact these processes and affect mental health?
Under what conditions do external social factors (e.g., context, community, broader societal structures) impact individuals' internal states, including their subjective well-being?

Ongoing Projects

connection-through-kindness understanding-others unique-brains-shared-world

The neural, cognitive, and computational basis of loneliness

connection-through-kindness understanding-others social-decision-making computational-psychiatry functional-neuroimaging

Intracranial neural signatures of shared social inference representations between interacting human dyads

understanding-others idiosyncratic-brains-shared-world social-inference social-interaction synchrony electrophysiology

Perspective-taking under naturalistic contexts

idiosyncratic-brains-shared-world social-inference synchrony functional-neuroimaging naturalistic-paradigms

Individual differences in prosocial and antisocial learning and decision-making

connection-through-kindness understanding-others social-decision-making prosocial-behavior reinforcement-learning

Understanding the impact of prosocial behavior on social connection and subjective well-being

connection-through-kindness prosocial-behavior subjective-well-being

Values

We are deeply committed to advancing open, collaborative science through mentorship, training, teaching, and resource sharing. We do so by fostering a welcoming and supportive environment and respecting contributions from all individuals, regardless of identity or cultural background. We also reflect critically on how our work informs mental health, keeping in mind the needs of those our research seeks to benefit. We prioritize representation in the populations we study. We also seek to build meaningful, reciprocal relationships with community partners in the regions where we conduct research, ensuring our work aligns with and supports local priorities and needs when possible. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for harassment or discrimination of any kind. We promote open science practices when possible, including ensuring that our research is rigorous and reproducible and findings are accessible to the public. We will champion sharing resources, including code and software when feasible, especially in supporting the growth of trainees and early career scientists.