Brandon W
- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Stanford University

Expertise

Linguistics; Statistics; Research Methodology

Bio

I am a PhD student in Linguistics at Stanford, where I focus mainly on pragmatics - the study of how humans use and interpret language in context in order to communicate with one another. A large part of my research involves building computational models of human behavior, using methods from fields such as cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and economics. Before grad school, I was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany and I did my undergrad at UChicago, where I engaged in political organizing, podcast production, and community radio.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Project 1

Analyzing social media or news data using Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods

Project 2

Hands-on introduction to statistics and experiment design: test a hypothesis about human behavior using online data collection methods, then analyze that data using statistical modeling techniques.

Project 3

Write an effective literature review by identifying appropriate academic sources summarized in your own words

Project 4

Produce a podcast in which you interview an expert on a topic or current issue you are passionate about

Coding skills

Python, R, HTML, Javascript

Languages I know

German, Arabic

Teaching experience

I was a professional ACT and GMAT tutor for a major international tutoring company and currently serve as an essay grader and teaching assistant at Stanford.

Credentials

Education

University of Chicago

BA Bachelor of Arts (2015)

Linguistics

Stanford University

PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate