I investigate a commonly unrecognized tension in group dynamics - cultural defaults. I am particularly interested in how seemingly objective, neutral, and even positive cultural defaults contribute to “on the ground” social problems like racial differences in mortgage approval rates or gender segregation in U.S. majors and occupations. As a social psychologist, I study the cultural mechanisms underlying the tensions in contemporary intergroup relations and examine culturally grounded strategies to improve group dynamics in organizations and society.

While I primarily test my theories using social psychological experiments and manipulations, I use a range of research methodologies (e.g., “big” observational datasets, qualitative coding) and draw on interdisciplinary insights to inform my theories.