Yara is a PhD Candidate, Lab Manager, and Gates Scholar at the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab.
Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, she graduated summa cum laude from New York University with a double major in Mathematics and Psychology. As a PhD candidate co-advised by Sander van der Linden and Jon Roozenbeek, her research explores the social identity dynamics within systems where humans and technology intersect. She combines data science techniques—particularly natural language processing and language models—with behavioral experiments to investigate how emerging technologies like social media and AI influence political division or foster unity.
Currently, Yara is part of The Alan Turing Institute’s Enrichment Scheme, focusing on the social evaluation of AI. She has also completed a research internship with Nokia Bell Labs’ Responsible AI team, working on Constitutional AI. In the Psychology Department, she co-organizes the Social Psychology Seminar Series (SPSS) with Sander and Miriam Remshard.