Current Members

Michael Haselhuhn

Faculty Affiliate

Associate Professor of Management, University of California, Riverside

Prof. Haselhuhn’s research focuses on the social-cognitive underpinnings of organizational behavior. He is particularly interested in how people’s beliefs and emotions influence trust, negotiation, and cooperation. In other research, he has investigated the remarkable links between facial metrics and important organizational outcomes, including ethical behavior, success at the bargaining table, and firm financial performance. He has published in Management Science, Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, among other top journals.

Prof. Haselhuhn earned his Ph.D. in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and was a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a post-doctoral fellow at the Wharton School before joining UCR School of Business.

Mindy Truong

Faculty Affiliate

Assistant Professor of Management, University of California, Riverside

Dr. Mindy Truong is an Assistant Professor of Management at the University of California, Riverside. She earned her Ph.D. in Business Administration (Organizational Behavior) at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. She highlights how functional, yet overlooked behaviors, beliefs, and backgrounds can facilitate people's success when they interact across group boundaries, attain upward social class mobility, and manage uncertainty.

Her research examines how people's social identities (e.g., social class, gender, race), social class backgrounds, and cultural norms influence their experiences and outcomes in academic and organizational contexts. In particular, her work explores what factors buffer individuals from the consequences of cultural mismatches – i.e., when the values and practices of organizations and institutions are inconsistent with those promoted in people’s backgrounds. She also investigates how intergroup interactions shape people's experiences and performance. Additionally, she examines what beliefs and behaviors enable people to thrive in interpersonal interactions (e.g., networking).

Rasam Dorri

Doctoral Student

As a doctoral student at University of California, Riverside, I am pursuing my PhD in Marketing, focusing on consumer behavior. I have more than four years of work experience as a social media marketing expert, advising on the production of specialized content and translating articles for various media outlets. I have also obtained multiple certifications in data analysis, market research, and scientific writing, and have published a paper in the field of Consumer Neuroscience. I have a strong background in business administration and management, as well as civil engineering.

Mahnaz Pirgazi

Doctoral Student

Mahnaz is a 2nd-year Ph.D. student in Marketing, focused on the behavioral aspects of marketing, with research interests spanning consumer behavior and decision-making. Prior to joining UCR, she accumulated extensive experience working across various sectors in marketing. Mahnaz earned her master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in e-commerce.

Judi Huang

Research Associate

Hi! My name is Judi Huang and I am a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics, with an interest in business, marketing, psychology, and research. What I hope to gain from BEDLab is hands-on experience in the field, greater knowledge of the psychology behind economic decision-making, as well as a head start to my career and education. I am hardworking, dedicated, and ambitious, all of which brought me to this research team and I plan to continue to apply my skills here. I am super grateful and excited for the opportunity to work with like-minded, passionate individuals.

Project: Beauty Tax? Does activating beauty negatively impact performance for intelligence-related tasks due to the activation of “beauty is dumb” stereotypes?

Siya Madan

Research Associate

Siya Madan is a second-year Honors Business Administration student at UC Riverside, planning to concentrate in Marketing with a minor in Economics or Political Science. She aims to pursue a career in corporate law and developed an interest in economics through her coursework, particularly in behavioral economics and its applications to the legal field. Siya believes that understanding the intersection of business and law is essential for a unique perspective on corporate law. Through her work in BEDLab, she hopes to gain valuable insights, collaborate with others, and deepen her understanding of economic principles and their practical implications.

Project: Do we blame AI or human service providers more when things go wrong?

Andy Banh

Undergraduate Research Assistant

My name is Andy and I am a third-year psychology undergraduate minoring in business. Being interested in the application of behavioral economics strives me to learn more on developing my skills and to use them in a future career. In the lab, I hope to be able to help conduct research or other tasks that I may one day be able to utilize myself. If I have spare time, I love going out to cafes, clothes shopping, and going to the gym.

Anika Bindal

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Anika Bindal is a first-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Riverside, majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in finance. She is passionate about behavioral economics and how human psychology influences financial decision-making. Her goal is to better understand consumer behavior and how it shapes investment decisions, particularly in the stock market. Anika was first introduced to finance through community college courses she took during her freshman year of high school, which inspired her to start her own small business, take on financial roles within her community, and serve as the head of finance for a startup. Through her involvement in BEDlab, she hopes to gain hands-on experience exploring the psychological aspects of finance while continuing to deepen her understanding of her field. She is grateful for this opportunity and is excited to contribute to the team.

Yamini Goyal

Undergraduate Research Assistant

I am Yamini Goyal a third-year Political Science Law and Society Major with a Business Minor in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources at UC Riverside! In the future, I hope to pursue a career as a criminal attorney, where I can apply insights about human behavior and decision making to the legal system. Being a part of BEDLab allows me to explore my interests in consumer behavior and factors influencing decision making while developing skills in research. I am excited to learn from the team and contribute to meaningful research!

Grace Hernandez

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Grace Hernandez is a third-year Economics and Data Science student at UC Riverside. She is passionate about applying data analytics principles to behavioral and economic research, with an interest in leveraging technical skills to generate tangible insights and solutions. She hopes to gain experience in research, and see how findings can be applied to better understand and influence user decision-making.

Anushka Honap

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Anushka Honap is a second-year student at UCR majoring in Business Administration, with plans to concentrate in Marketing or Business Analytics. Through her involvement in research, she hopes to gain a more hands-on approach to understanding decision making in the business field, particularly by exploring behavioral economics and applying its concepts to the challenges and processes involved in business decision making. She is also interested in the intersection of psychology and business, and how insights into human behavior can shape stronger and more effective strategies. In addition, Anushka aims to develop new skills and methods that are vital for the current generation of business leaders.

Tyler Labrador

Undergraduate Research Assistant

I am Tyler Labrador, a third-year Business Administration Major with concentrations in management and information systems. I have interests in the "why?" humans make decisions in particular people's human bias and rationality. I hope to apply what these concepts to real-world situations in the future. Through BEDLab I hope to further my understanding of these concepts and explore opportunities.

Calvin Lim

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Calvin Lim is a first-year undergraduate at UC Riverside, majoring in Economics/Administrative Studies with a minor in Data Science. He is passionate about the intersections of culture, psychology and economics, often exploring these themes through human-centered design. Through BEDLab, he hopes to further engage with this interest, and develop a strong foundation in research to pursue an University Honors capstone in later years.

Patrick Rama

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Patrick is a third year Business Economics student at UC Riverside, minoring in Mathematics. His interest in behavioral and decision making economics first sprouted during his time abroad at Cambridge, where discussions on poverty and inequality broadened his perspective. While traditional economics often assumes individuals act rationally, he was drawn to behavioral economics for the way it challenges this mold and examines how real world decision making is influenced by biases and context. Since then, Patrick has been fascinated by how data can uncover these patterns and provide insights into economic and social challenges. Through his work with BEDLab, he hopes to connect research insights to industry applications while strengthening his data analysis skills in preparation for graduate level research.

Xavier Scott

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Xavier Scott is a first-year Business Analytics student at UC Riverside. He is dedicated to gaining knowledge and insight into the analytical aspect of a person's thought process, while also analyzing already existing findings and how they relate to thought processes. He hopes to gain skills in the analytical, technical, and environmental fields for future goals after graduation.

Ruhi Shah

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Ruhi Shah is a first-year undergraduate student at UC Riverside, majoring in Data Science. She developed an interest in behavioral economics and decision-making through her coursework in psychology, economics, and statistics, as well as her prior experiences in research and industry. With a growing curiosity about how human behavior, technology, and consumer patterns intersect, she is particularly interested in exploring the ways artificial intelligence and digital platforms influence decision-making in everyday life. Through her involvement in BEDLab, she hopes to apply her skills in data analysis and research to gain a deeper understanding of human behavior, while building a foundation for future studies in data science and behavioral research analysis.

Shaida Shahmohamady

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Shaida Shahmohamady is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Riverside, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Marketing. She is deeply interested in the intersection of behavioral economics and consumer psychology, particularly how psychological factors influence consumer choices. Through her involvement in BEDLab, Shaida hopes to gain hands-on research experience and strengthen her understanding of behavioral science. She's grateful for the opportunity to work alongside like-minded peers and contribute meaningfully to the lab's research.

Jack Stone

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Jack is a fourth-year Business Administration student concentrating on management strategy. His interest in decision-making frameworks began after reviewing the 2017 Nobel Laureate roundtable, where economist Richard Thaler introduced the concept of "Nudging." Since then, Jack has been fascinated by human behavior, perception, the factors that drive decision-making across markets, leadership, and governance, and how those disciplines drive consumer interests. He is especially interested in how consumers navigate choice architecture and what shapes respective rationalization.

Through BEDLab, Jack hopes to explore these behavioral patterns, connect research insights to real-world industries, and become familiar with the unique analysis within the lab. Jack is also passionate about healthcare and seeks to understand what creates high-quality patient experiences as he aims to work within the healthcare industry.