Thea is currently a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology, with an emphasis on human development. She conducts research in the Human Interaction with Nature and Technological Systems (HINTS) lab under the direction of Dr. Peter Kahn. Her work integrates knowledge of our species’ evolutionary past with a focus on human experience and performance in an increasingly technological present. In particular, she is interested in optimizing human psychological well-being using simulated nature in virtual and augmented reality.
Other research projects include modeling child-nature interaction, as well as an ongoing collaborative study investigating human- robot interaction with the CARL cognitive robotics lab at the University of California, Irvine. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of Southern California, earning dual-BA’s in Neuroscience and English Literature. In her time at USC she competed as a pole- vaulter for the track and field team and was involved with research concerning Theory of Mind (ToM), emotion, and cognition.
In her free time she enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, and also competing as a member of the UW Boxing team.