People
Nicholas Coles
Director
Dr. Nicholas Coles is the director of the Social Science Collaboratory. Before joining the University of Florida, he received his PhD from the University of Tennessee, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, and served as a research scientist at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. His work has been published in outlets like Nature, Nature Human Behaviour, and Science -- receiving coverage from outlets like Science Magazine, FiveThirtyEight, Nature News, and the Guardian. These contributions have been recognized via several awards, including: the Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research, the CORES Open Science Innovator Award, and three fellowhips from the U.S National Science Foundation. In his free time, Nicholas enjoys joking about other things that don't exist.
Cindy - Rui Jin
Graduate Student
Cindy is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in social psychology at the University of Florida. She received her BSocSc and Mphil in cognitive psychology from the University of Hong Kong. Her research follows the movement of minds and people: using large-scale bibliometric datasets to uncover how academic brain drain unfolds when societies are disrupted, and how those shifts redirect scholars' careers across the globe. She also explores everyday migration inside countries, showing how routine residential moves can quietly reshape local culture and influence people's attitudes and behavior. Away from data and maps, Cindy unwinds by cooking, gaming, and relaxing with her cat, Toaster.
Annabel Dang
Graduate Student - CV
Annabel is a Ph.D. student in social psychology at the University of Florida. She received her B.S. in neuropsychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interest include emotion and culture, with a focus on how cultural contexts shape emotional experience and expression. She is also interested in methodological approaches to studying both universal and culturally specific aspects of human psychology. Outside of her academic work, Annabel enjoys painting, traveling, and experimenting with new recipes (to varying degrees of success).
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Joao Francisco Goes Braga Takayanagi
Post - Bachelor Researcher
John received his B.A. in Psychology and B.Sc in Engineering from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is currently part of Global Happiness Megastudy team, a project that aims to identify the most effective strategies from promoting positive affect across different cultures. His research include emotions, mental health, cross-cultural research, big team science, and evolutionary psychology. In his free time, enjoys listening to podcasts and drinking (probably too much) coffee.
Gabrielle Grant
RA
Gabrielle is a fourth-year undergraduate research assistant pursuing a B.S. in Psychology at the University of Florida. She plans to attend medical school after graduation, with the hope of integrating her background in psychology into her future clinical practice. Her research interests include emotion, psychophysiology, and cross-cultural research. In her free time, Gabrielle enjoys traveling, volunteering, and drinking Dr Pepper.
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Hannah Johns
RA
Hannah is a second-year undergraduate research assistant studying Computer Science and Psychology. She is especially interested in learning how computer science methods can be used to advance understanding of human behavior. Outside of the lab, Hannah enjoys traveling to new places, playing soccer, and getting coffee.