Welcome to the JADE Lab!

The Judgments and Decisions Experimental (JADE) Lab focuses on the organizational, social, and psychological forces that regulate individual and group behavior under the direction of Professor Eileen Chou. We are comprised of undergraduate and graduate researchers, post-doctoral researchers, a lab manager, and collaborators from around the world.

Although our lab has moved to the university hospital, we do not conduct clinical research, and we only use non-invasive methods in our studies.

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Eileen Y. Chou, Ph.D.

Lab Director, Associate Dean, & Associate Professor

Dr. Eileen Chou's research focuses on the organizational, social, and psychological forces that shape individual and group behavior in organizational settings. She explores questions such as how the terms of contracts promote or inhibit cooperation among team members, whether and when hierarchy is an effective mechanism of social organization, how trust can be used as a strategic tactic, and whether or not it really is "lonely at the top."

Her work has appeared in academic journals such as Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, American Economics Journal, Experimental Economics, and Organizational Psychological Review (see Publications). Her research on prosocial behaviors has been selected to be featured in the Best Paper Proceedings by the Organizational Behavior division at the 2010 conference of the Academy of Management. Dr. Chou received her Ph.D. in Management and Organization from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds an M.S. in Social Science from Caltech.

You can find out more about Dr. Chou on her Batten page here!

Natalie Baumeister

Lab Manager

Natalie works with JADE and SoBaD Labs in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. She studied Psychology and Cognitive Science at UVA. Her research interests include social inequalities and cognitive heuristics. Outside of the lab, you can find Natalie practicing piano, running, and writing stories.

DMP candidates

The Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) is an advanced program for students interested in pursuing in-depth research on issues related to their majors. Students in the DMP write a senior thesis under close faculty supervision during their final year of undergraduate studies.

Research Assistants

(First name in alphabetical order)

Alex Wang

Alex is a fourth year in the College of Arts & Sciences, studying biochemistry. She joined JADE through the USOAR program. Outside of class, she is a member of the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra and the Baroque Orchestra at UVA. She also enjoys some recreational swimming in her free time.

Alyssa Bui

Alyssa is a third-year pursuing a major in Economics and minor in Data Science. She is thrilled to join the JADE Lab this semester through USOAR. Beyond academics, she loves playing volleyball and is involved with the Vietnamese Student Association.

Ardavan Davoodi

Ardavan Davoodi is a fourth-year in the College of Arts and Sciences intending to major in Global Public Health with minors in Biology and Spanish. He's excited about getting hands-on psychological research experience, and connecting it with broader disciplines. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring nature and working out, and getting involved with the Persian community on Grounds.

Brooke Sims

Brooke is a second-year student hoping to study Psychology and Economics. She is excited to gain hands-on experience working in psychology research. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, live music, traveling, and spending time with her dogs.

Clare Gayer

Clare Gayer is a third-year student planning on majoring in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Neuroscience and a minor in Public Policy and Leadership. She is excited to work with the JADE team while broadening her academic interests and exploring new fields of psychological research. In her free time, Clare enjoys going to concerts, hiking, and exploring Charlottesville restaurants.

Eunice Li

I am a second-year student pursuing a nursing major in the School of Nursing. I'm super excited to be a part of JADE Lab through the USOAR program and I look forward to gaining more experience in research. When I'm not completing schoolwork, I love to read and write with my favorite genre being anything fantasy related.

Leah Wilson

Leah is a second-year student hoping to study economics and psychology. She is excited to get hands-on experience in psychology research. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, working out, traveling, and going to coffee shops.

Leslie Kim

Leslie is a second-year student planning to double major in Behavioral Neuroscience and Cognitive Science with a concentration in Linguistics. She is excited to be involved in psychological research, particularly at the intersection of psychology and policymaking. Outside of class, she enjoys cooking, binge-watching shows, working out, and playing flute for UVA's Wind Ensemble.

Linus Lin

Linus Lin is a senior that goes to Santa Teresa High School in San Jose California. He is planning on majoring in Architecture, Data Science, or potentially Finance. Linus has a passion for both numbers and creativity, allowing him to work well in fields that require analytical thinking and artistic expression. Outside of school, Linus loves to play sports such as basketball and badminton, create art projects, as well as spend time with his family.

Lucia Fogler

Lucia Fogler is a third year undergraduate hoping to study Public Policy with minors in Chinese and Economics. Her research interests are surrounding how behaviors affect the decisions of policymakers including within foreign policy and lawmaking. In her free time she enjoys rock climbing, hiking, reading, traveling, and exploring new Charlottesville restaurants and coffee shops! She is excited to start this semester at the JADE Lab and dive into research.

Quinn Moynihan

Quinn is a fourth-year majoring in Psychology and hoping to minor in Public Policy and Leadership. She is excited to be getting involved in psychological research and working with a great team at JADE Lab. Outside JADE, she can be found hiking, cheering on UVA athletics, and exploring local coffee shops.

Rosalia Bailey

Rosalia is a fourth year in the College of Arts & Sciences, planning to major in Psychology with a possible minor in Media Studies or Italian. She joined JADE through the USOAR program and is excited to get hands on research experience. Rosalia enjoys spending time with the people (and cats) that she loves, traveling, dancing, and watching (and critiquing) horror movies.

Sanjula Chitty

Sanjula is a fourth year Cognitive Science major and Computer Science minor. She is interested in studying how attitudes shape behavior, inter-group dynamics and the cognitive processes behind decision making. In her free time, she enjoys found reading, journaling, spending time with friends and family, and occasionally playing guitar.

Sara Chan

Hi, my name is Sara Chan. I am a fourth-year majoring in Applied Statistics and a minor in Public Policy and Leadership and Computer Science. I am interested in organizational and behavioral psychology. In my free time, I love reading poets such as Ocean Vuong, listening to podcasts such as the Freakonomics podcast, and spending quality time with my family.