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Since 2024, my website has moved. Please visit jchu10.github.io

Hi there! I am a cognitive scientist interested in the playful mind. Play and curiosity are unmistakable signatures of an active mind. What can we learn about human intelligence by understanding the drivers, mechanisms, and consequences of play? I'm especially interested in investigating the nature and development of creative problem solving and problem invention.

I earned my PhD in Cognitive Science from MIT in 2023, advised by Dr. Laura Schulz. An open question in my research is how human minds tackle the hard problem of thinking new thoughts and making new plans. It turns out a great case study of this is play - which young children do effortlessly! In my dissertation, I propose to gain traction on this problem by examining how cognition is not only rational (wrt. optimal principles of accuracy, efficiency, etc.) but also pragmatic: motivated and constrained by the particular problems we perceive and goals we adopt. I examine how children and adults engage in flexible, ad hoc, goal-directed reasoning in the contexts of explanation, decision-making, and play

My fascination with problem-based learning and thinking stems, in part, from my experiences with K-12 education. Before graduate school, I taught some math and physics, and researched how children learn math: from 3-year-olds learning "one, two, three", to early intuitions about infinity, and how tools like diagrams and the abacus might help students perform arithmetic and algebra. Here's an informal bio of my path to cognitive science. 

I am committed to promoting inclusion and diversity in academic spaces through making science open and accessible, and mentoring students from all backgrounds. I've been lucky to have supportive and encouraging mentors who have shaped my scientific lens, personal growth, and & mentorship philosophy. I'd like to pay it forward!