Dí Liǔ

I am a 4th-year Ph.D. candidate at the Lab for Child Development, Psychological & Brain Sciences Department, Johns Hopkins University, advised by Dr. Lisa Feigenson. 

My research asks how ambiguity drives new discoveries. From early in life, babies explore the world, seeking information to make sense of what they do not yet understand. Some of us never stop, eventually calling ourselves scientists and extending our explorations into vast networks of ideas. BUT, not all uncertainty is created equal. Are we sensitive to different degrees of ambiguity in what we seek to understand? Can we learn not only from our own uncertainty, but also that of others? Why do some unexpected observations spark curiosity and lead to new discoveries, while others simply leave us puzzled or indifferent? And how can we harness this process to make discoveries more likely? 

I investigate these questions across the lifespan, from how infants and children seek new information to how scientists develop new ideas. I am grateful to work on related questions with a wonderful group of collaborators including (but certainly not limited to) Drs. Marina Dubova, Kara Kedrick, Robert Hawkins, Justin Halberda, Kishore Kuchibhotla, Jacob Foster, soon-to-be Dr. Nick Bisbee, and my friends -- Zyan Wang, Joseph Outa, and Rhea Kapur.

If these questions excite you too, I am happy to chat more! And if you happen to be a parent of a child between 3 months and 6 years old, you can learn more about participating in my studies on our lab website linked above!