Our work
We conduct science to help our community partners and IMprove lives
Members of ‘the shop’ use qualitative interviews, surveys, behavioral observations, a/b testing experiments, field studies, and psychophysiological assessments to solve problems faced by our community partners. We create answers using science and follow the data wherever it leads. We share these answers with our community partners and the public in order to improve people’s lives. Some of our past work includes:
How overly optimistic beliefs about racial progress make real progress difficult
How to humanize the workplace
Promoting inclusive practices for scientific research
The unintended impacts of standardized testing
We share knowledge and insights to create a more informed public
Ultimately, we do science to improve lives and create a more informed public. That is why, at ‘the shop’, our central goal is to find new and engaging ways to put knowledge from science into public hands where it can do the most good. All of the cutting-edge research we conduct at ‘the shop’ is held to the highest standards of science communication, and each insight produced here will be shared with the public through our policy reports, workshops, engaging videos, public talks, and podcasts either produced in house or in partnership with other similarly aligned organizations. Some of our past work includes:
A short explainer video showing how misperceptions of racial equality stand in the way of equity and justice
A podcast about health and inequality in the US
A podcast about designing better research
A short explainer video about team work and the role of high fives
We train future scholars and researchers to secure the future
Community partners and the public need science to answer important questions and to face challenges with data, analysis, and evidence. These needs will continue in the future. That is why ‘the shop’ is devoted to training future scientists in cutting-edge research methods across the social sciences. We accomplish this through our workshops, our intensive summer training programming, as well as through enrichment programs for our network of social science scholars and trainees. We build a community of researchers and partners who see social science as vital to our future.
Read praise for our training programs from our past trainees:
“My entire experience was amazing. It gave me a look into what being a PhD student will be like. I also love that there was honesty when speaking about the good and bad of academia. I also met some amazing people.” – Cohort #3 trainee
“The topics we discussed in the seminars helped guide me by framing my social justice interests into "academically-coded" terms (e.g. diversity, inclusion, and inequality) I wasn't too familiar with before the internship.” – Cohort #2 trainee
“I think differently about Psychology as a field and a research endeavor since my internship, because of the emphasis to think critically about what Psychology is and the purpose and practice of research.” – Cohort #1 trainee
WHAT WE OFFER
We solve policy problems with data and evidence using cutting-edge techniques in social science. If you have questions about how to enhance teamwork, promote inclusive practices, raise funds, improve climate, or set future priorities, we can help!
We are committed to bringing our experience and expertise to the public through workshops, media, and public talks. If you are part of a community or organization interested in learning, we can help!
We are invested in the future through our training programs that provide an 8-week hands-on and immersive experience in research for emerging scholars. If you would like to participate through our internship program, please apply!