I’m a 3rd year PhD candidate at MIT in the IT group at Sloan. If you don’t know what that means, you’re not alone. My mom still can’t describe it to her friends, so I’ve told her to say, “he studies how we can use AI to learn about human behavior and how AI can be used to impact human decision-making.’’ If her friends have more questions, she’s instructed to say, “he is an economist who draws heavily on computer science and psychology.” If they keep asking, she runs away and hides.

Before I continue, let me state how wildly narcissistic it is that I, along with most academics, have these self-aggrandizing websites. Now, back to me! I am primarily an economist who studies AI agents in various settings using experiments, simulations, and econometric methods. My research explores two complementary directions: (1) leveraging AI systems as instruments to better understand human behavior, and (2) investigating how AI systems can effectively act on behalf of and at the direction of people—from representing our preferences and facilitating communication to making independent decisions. Through this work, I develop new AI tools and study their practical implications when deployed in real-world settings.

In my free time, you can find me writing almost funny vignettes on my website, hiking slowly, cycling through traffic, kicking a soccer ball, reading/napping, playing Catan, traveling, or simply hanging with friends. I also have a thing for ice cream.

P.S. and P.S.A. As an (aspiring) academic, I have strong opinions about almost everything. Despite what some describe as an “obstinate” personality, I advocate for viewpoint diversity (even viewpoints I hate, of which there are many, so many). As such, I am a member of Jonathan Haidt’s Heterodox Academy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group dedicated to promoting open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in higher education. Please message me if you have questions about this organization or my stated membership.