About Me

Background

I completed my Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Intervention at New York University (2019-2024), with a specialty area in Data Science for Social Impact under the guidance of Dr. J. Lawrence Aber.

My academic journey has taken me across prestigious institutions including the University of Oxford (MPhil in Evidence-based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation), Harvard University (Ed.M. in Arts in Education), and Tsinghua University (B.Sc. in Psychology).

Current Role

Behavioral Scientist at The Agency Fund (June 2024 - Present)

I apply behavioral science principles and data-driven approaches to create meaningful social impact. I also work extensively on designing and evaluating AI products in the social sector. For instance, please see my work on:

• ChatSEL - An Open-Source AI-powered Teacher Coaching Chatbot for Diverse SEL Programming in Low-Resource Settings
• A Living Playbook for AI Evaluation in the Social Sector

Research Interests

My research focuses on several interconnected areas:

• AI evaluation for social impact: Exploring how AI products can be designed, implemented, and evaluated to produce positive social outcomes
• Social and emotional learning (SEL): Understanding how SEL interventions affect students' SEL and academic outcomes
• Health and education interventions in low-resource contexts: Developing evidence-based interventions for vulnerable populations in low-resource contexts (e.g., mothers in rural India; deaf students in Nepal; Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, etc.)
• Evidence-based social psychological interventions: Creating and testing psychologically wise interventions that improve human agency and development

More About Me

I'm also passionate about music - I play cello, saxophone, and guitar, and have performed with orchestras at Harvard, Oxford, and NYU. In 2015, I was named Best Original Singer at Tsinghua University.

Contact

• Email: zezhen [at] agency [dot] fund
• GitHub: github.com/littlehifive

I'm always interested in collaborating on projects that combine rigorous research methods with real-world impact. Feel free to reach out!