As a behavioral scientist at Torch Leadership Labs, I have three focuses in my current research. First, I measure and analyze the return on investment (ROI) for Torch’s career coaching and mentoring programs, including metrics like retention rates, promotion rates, behavior change, and participants’ satisfaction with Torch. Second, I build from scratch new assessments that are psychometrically sound, such as a personality test or surveys that measure the impact of Torch’s custom programs. Third, I analyze data that Torch has already collected to find new insights for the business, using advanced techniques that account for multiple comparisons and minimize our exposure to Type I errors (false positives).

During my time in graduate school, I co-developed a peer-reviewed statistical learning technique that used personality data to create parsimonious, transparent models that predict life outcomes. I also wrote two first-author papers concerning the systematic relationships between personality and geography and demography. Those papers found that: (a) smaller units of analysis (for both personality and geography) tend to lead to more informative findings; and (b) personality scores aggregated at the level of U.S. states are consistent across samples and have been stable for the last fifteen years.

I am a previous collaborator on the SAPA Project, an international online personality assessment. At the SAPA website, you’ll receive feedback regarding 27 factors of personality, but by default you’ll only be shown the four on which you are the most unique. It also provides information regarding your Big Five personality and cognitive ability.

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