Hi Arezoo, what is your background and job role at AU?

I'm Iranian and from Tehran. My background is in computer engineering and cognitive science, and I have a Master's Degree from the Islamic Azad University of Tehran. I came here as a Guest Researcher in 2018. Now I am staying as a PhD student in Economics and Business Economics!

What are your main areas of research?

I'm interested in designing experiments and analyzing socio-behavioral data. It is interesting to me to find patterns in people's behaviour in social settings, and I like to look at how you affect this behaviour – especially in decision-making. 

Are you involved with any teaching at the moment?

No, not at the moment. But I am grading exam papers! It's not bad, but it takes a lot of time. 

I used to teach mathematics in high school in Iran. It's always a challenge to teach, but I like it. You get to meet and talk to new people every semester, and you experience new situations all the time. I like that.

How did you hear about Cognition and Behavior Lab?

I found something on the web and also through my supervisor, Dan Mønster.

Have you used the Lab? If so, what are the benefits for researchers?

I used it for Card Game which is the name of my experiment. It is a gambling task, which is played in a social situation. I found lab's facilities perfect for it because it has the facilities to make multiple computers work together. That way it could be a social experiment instead of an individual experiment. 

Is there a particular recommendation you would like to pass on to other researchers? Something you wish you had known before you started, or just a useful trick.

Before starting your experiment you should read carefully the instructions which is written in COBE Lab's website. And if you need help with your experiment, read my recommended book!

Could you recommend one academic book to fellow colleagues that you think is of great interest?

Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques Book by C. R. Kothari. It helps you to do your experiment, and gives information about research questions, the experiment, and the analysis.

Away from your research, what do you enjoy doing?

I like going into nature and taking photos and looking at everything. I also play sports.

You do a lot of sports. What is a complete list of the kinds of sport you have done?

Oh, that's a lot. Handball, basketball, badminton, fencing, kung fu (brown belt), pilates (but I don't like it, I almost fell asleep), floorball, rock climbing. And another important one – I play table tennis in COBE Lab's meeting room with professional players (EDITORS NOTE: she means lab management).

Finally, which Associated Researcher would you like to see under 'Spotlight' next time?

I don't know many associated researchers yet!