Activities: At Rutgers I was a part of the SAS Honors Peer Mentor program, SAS Honors Tutoring project, Douglass Red Pine Ambassadors, Aresty Research Associate program, and the Medical Decision Making lab.
What attracted you to Rutgers University and the Honors/Scholars Program?
I was really excited to take advantage of all the opportunities at Rutgers and in the Honors Program. For instance, the notion that I could be involved in a number of clubs, the women’s program through Douglass, and research via the Aresty Research Center was really exciting. I also liked the idea of being close to home (since I grew up in New Jersey) and at a university with a somewhat big sports culture.
Why did you choose your major and/or minor?
I had taken AP classes in those areas in high school and enjoyed them a lot, so I kept taking economics and math classes at Rutgers. I liked those classes, so I decided to major and minor in those areas. Now, my work mainly uses methods from experimental psychology, but I have found my more quantitative background in economics and math useful nevertheless.
Tell us a little bit about what you're doing now. What was your first job after Rutgers? Where do you live?
After graduation, I moved to Philadelphia to start my PhD in Decision Processes at University of Pennsylvania. I spent five years in Philly and graduated with my PhD in May of 2023. In June 2023, I moved from Philly to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where I currently live and work as an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Alberta. In this role, I spend a lot of my time on my research, which is focused on two main topics: how consumers interact with online product rating systems (like Yelp), and how various interventions affect consumers’ goal achievement and motivation. I also teach digital marketing to undergraduate students.
Was there a class and/or experience at Rutgers that led you to pursuing your current career?
The faculty mentor program had a huge influence on my career. Through this program, I was paired with an experimental economist who used to work in the Cognitive Science department at Rutgers. She recommended a class focusing on judgment and decision-making research to me and also helped me successfully apply for a research position through the Aresty Research Center. These initial exposures to judgment and decision-making research piqued my interest and helped lay the foundation for pursuing a career in research and academia.
What three words describe your experience at Rutgers and the Honors/Scholars Program?
Opportunity. Community. Curiosity.
How has your Rutgers and Honors education benefited you in your post-Rutgers life?
The research experiences I had at Rutgers were pivotal in creating the foundation for my research career. I also really enjoyed and benefited from being around smart, fun, engaging people through the Honors program, and taking interesting courses that expanded my worldview.
What advice do you have for our current SAS Honors Program students?
Explore all the opportunities available to you through the SAS Honors Program, you never know where they’ll lead you.
For more information about this Honors alum, visit:
katie-mehr.com
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