Research interests

How do gendered belief systems shape the way people perceive themselves, others, and society?

I take three broad approaches to address my main research question. First, I examine the psychological mechanisms underlying gendered beliefs and social categorization, including how people think about gender diversity and the ways in which gender stereotypes are applied to both people and emerging technologies. Second, I investigate how gender operates as a status hierarchy, shaping whose identities, roles, and contributions are valued in workplaces, education, and everyday life. Third, I develop and evaluate interventions designed to reduce gender bias and promote more inclusive social environments.

To address these questions, I use a multi-method approach that combines large-scale representative datasets, laboratory and online experiments, meta-analyses, and cross-cultural research. By integrating perspectives from social, political, and personality psychology, my work seeks to identify the psychological processes that sustain inequality while uncovering pathways toward meaningful social change. 

Overall, I investigate how beliefs about gender create and reinforce status hierarchies, influence prejudice and discrimination, and contribute to persistent social inequalities. At the same time, I explore how these processes can be disrupted through psychological interventions that promote more flexible ways of thinking about gender.

As a postdoctoral researcher at New York University Abu Dhabi, I am primarily interested in:

1. Examining how gendered belief systems become internalized and shape people’s self-concepts across cultures.

2. Investigating how masculinity contest cultures shape workplace status hierarchies and organizational inclusion.

3. Examining cultural variation in gender disparities in STEM, with a particular focus on the Middle East and North Africa.