School of Humanities and Sciences
Showing 201-300 of 304 Results
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Mary Reader
Ph.D. Student in Economics, admitted Autumn 2023
BioI'm a second-year PhD student in Economics at Stanford University. My research interests are in labor economics, public economics and industrial organization (IO), with a particular focus on inequality. You can find out more about my research at my website: https://www.maryreader.com
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Sandro Sharashenidze
Ph.D. Student in Political Science, admitted Autumn 2024
Master of Arts Student in Economics, admitted Autumn 2026BioSandro is a graduate student in political science who is interested in the intersection between international security, macroeconomics, and formal theory. Before joining Stanford, Sandro worked as a trading analyst and managed an education-focused NGO in Tbilisi, Georgia. He has a bachelor's in economics and a master's in international relations from the University of Chicago.
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Flora Jiaxuan Xu
Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2023
Ph.D. Minor, Psychology
Student Summer Research Assistant, Environmental Social SciencesBioFlora Jiaxuan Xu is a PhD candidate in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER) at Stanford University, working at the intersection of environmental psychology, civil and environmental engineering, urban design, and behavioral science. Her research investigates how people define, experience, and internalize “nature” as part of the self, and how psychological, cultural, and built-environment factors shape human–nature relationships in contemporary cities.
Drawing on theories of identity, perception, cultural psychology, and ecological systems, Flora proposes Nature Identity as a new interdisciplinary framework for understanding how nature becomes woven into self-concept and everyday meaning-making. She employs a broad mixed-methods approach—including qualitative interviews, quantitative modeling, ecological momentary assessment, photovoice, and human-centered design—to examine how urban nature influences wellbeing, identity formation, and environmental behavior. In parallel, she develops creative, design-driven solutions such as immersive installations, biophilic illusions, narrative and sensory interventions, and technology-enabled building features that aim to strengthen nature connection and promote climate engagement in urban settings.
Flora works with the Social Ecology Lab and the Billington Lab, as well as external partners in urban design, behavioral science, and immersive storytelling. Her work seeks to bridge scientific research with real-world application, advancing strategies that integrate psychology, culture, and design to foster healthier and more nature-responsive cities.
Prior to Stanford, Flora completed an M.S. in Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and holds B.A. degrees in Sustainable Environmental Design and Cognitive Science from the University of California, Berkeley. -
Ryan Yan Yan
Ph.D. Student in Psychology, admitted Autumn 2022
Master of Arts Student in Psychology, admitted Summer 2025Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am interested in value computation and representation in the brain, as well as the individual differences in this process in healthy people and people with mood disorders. I am also interested in how reward processing interplays with subjective feeling states such as mood and motivation.
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Mayshu (Meixu) Zhan
Ph.D. Student in Modern Thought and Literature, admitted Autumn 2023
Ph.D. Minor, Communication
Ph.D. Minor, Computer ScienceCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsMy interdisciplinary research examines digital media through the lens of critical race, gender, and sexuality studies. I am primarily interested in investigating how we can leverage the power of media to reinvent and promote social equality. Specifically, my research focuses on digital games and their prosocial influence on 21st- century China.
