The Roman Family Center's staff is pivotal to advancing groundbreaking behavioral science research.
Faculty Director View Profile
Nicholas Epley conducts research on the experimental study of social cognition, perspective taking, and intuitive human judgment. His research has appeared in more than two dozen journals and popular publications like the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Wired. He is the author of Mindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want.
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Executive Director Email (773) 702-7307
Amy Boonstra is executive director of the Roman Family Center and oversees programming and initiatives. With her team, she leads the center’s infrastructure, program development, fundraising, and partnerships. Amy has a PhD in sociology from the University of Michigan and an AB from the University of Chicago.
Director, Labs Services Email (773) 702-2621
Rebecca (Becky) oversees the center's research labs and partnership data collection sites. Becky has a PhD in quantitative psychology from the Ohio State University, with focus in the study of judgment and decision making, and she is also an Adjunct Professor of Behavioral Science at Booth.
Director of Operations and External Relations Email (773) 834-5284
Mark provides leadership for all strategic communications, public relations, and external-facing programs sponsored by the Center, in addition to helping oversee operations at Mindworks. He helps tell the story of behavioral science, including its profound ability to provide wisdom and improve lives.
Research Application Developer Email
Kaushal assists faculty by developing, programming, and troubleshooting computer-based study materials. He focuses on web-based programming and provides support for studies on Qualtrics using Javascript, PHP, and other relevant languages. Kaushal received his BA in Psychology and MS in Computer Science from the University of Chicago.
Associate Director, Campus Lab Services Email
Bryan manages the Hyde Park Lab, working with Booth faculty, PhDs, and post-docs to support their research endeavors. He has previously worked for the center as a research assistant and as the Pop-Up Labs Manager, where he coordinated external research and spearheaded our Call for Studies program.
Research Professional, Mindworks Email
Ryan Bruno helps to facilitate research for faculty, principal researchers, and collaborators of the Center for Decision Research. He also manages research assistants and supports with the maintenance and advertisement of the Mindworks lab.
Research Professional, Hyde Park Email
Kylie serves as a research professional in the Hyde Park Lab and manages the lab of George Wu. Kylie completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, graduating with a BA in Sociology and a BS in Marketing.
Assistant Director, Virtual and Pop-Up Labs Email
Amanda is the project manager for studies conducted in the Virtual and Pop-Up Labs. Working with faculty, PhD students, and principal researchers, she facilitates research online, on campus, and across Chicago. Amanda has her BS in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and her MS and OTD from UIC.
Research Professional, Epley Lab Email
Janice manages the Epley Lab, where she oversees research projects conducted by Nicholas Epley and his collaborators. She also provides support for center's labs and supervises research assistants. Janice received her BA in Psychology from Adelphi University Honors College and her MA in Social Sciences from UChicago.
Yui helps facilitate research, trains and manages research assistants, and helps ensure the Mindworks visitor experience is engaging and interactive. Yui has her BS in Health Sciences from DePaul University and her MS and OTD from UIC.
Director, Mindworks Email
Jasmine Kwong oversees research operations at Mindworks, the world’s first behavioral science discovery center in downtown Chicago. She leads the Roman Family Center's engagement strategy and programming for students, alumni, and the general public. Jasmine has an MBA and AB from the University of Chicago.
Solomon Lister serves as a research professional in the Hyde Park Lab and manages the labs of Drs. Emma Levine and Jane Risen. Prior to joining the Roman Family Center, Solomon completed his undergraduate studies at UChicago, graduating with a BA in Psychology.
Associate Director, Mindworks Email
Don manages research professionals who carry out research operations in the Mindworks Labs and oversees the operations that support research. Don is a part-time MBA student at Booth and previously served as Lab Manager for Nicholas Epley.
Zen serves as a research project manager for studies conducted by faculty, graduate students, and postdocs. She is also responsible for managing inventory and accounting records at Mindworks. Her research interests are quantitative methodologies for social sciences and game theory.
Assistant Director, Operations Email
Tricia Nicholson helps organize and oversee workshops, talks, and other events. She is also responsible for contracts accounting and other day-to-day managerial tasks. Tricia received a BS in Neuroscience from the University of Chicago.
Associate Director, Communications Email
Chris implements the center's communications strategy to attract new research participants and amplify the innovative work of our faculty, labs, and researchers. He manages the center’s social media, email marketing, event promotions, and other communications efforts.
Rocío serves as a research professional in the Hyde Park Lab and manages the lab of Professor Bernd Wittenbrink. Rocío completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, graduating with a BA in Psychology. She originally joined the center through the Leadership Alliance Program during the summer of 2021.
Lab Research Assistant, Mindworks Email
Andrea supports operations and research projects conducted at Mindworks. Andrea joined the center as a research assistant through the HBCU & HSI Bridge Scholarship Program at the Graham School after graduating from the University of Puerto Rico with a BA in Psychology.
Principal Researcher, Statistical Consultant Email
Rui provides statistical consulting services for researchers affiliated with the Roman Family Center. Additionally, she assists in evaluating the appropriate analytical approach given the real-world conditions in which data were collected; evaluates the relative appropriateness and performance of distinct statistical methods for specific datasets, and assists researchers in applying and interpreting these methods to their datasets in novel and sophisticated ways.
Assistant Director, Mindworks Email
Katerina helps manage the day-to-day operations at Mindworks as well as the research projects that come through the lab. She also manages the lab's outreach efforts. Katerina previously worked for the center as a research assistant while completing her MA at the University of Chicago.
Senior Web Applications Developer Email
Adam develops and troubleshoots research applications. He focuses on both client- and server-rendered, modern web app frameworks and is lead developer of the MyCDR study management platform. Adam received his BA in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and is a certified professional programmer.
Jenna supports operations and research projects conducted at Mindworks. Additionally, she assists in centering and supporting the Mindworks visitor experience. Jenna comes from a hospitality background, has her BA in International Relations from Grand Valley State University, and her MA from the University of Chicago.