Rheanna Ganapathy
www.linkedin.com/in/rheanna-ganapathy
Research Experience
Perception Institute - Perception Lab
Senior Research Analyst, New York, NY & Mountain View, CA
August 2023 — Present
Supported original mixed-methods research on racial ideology and political attitudes to guide narrative strategy
Utilized R to analyze large-scale civic engagement message testing data and Implicit Association Test data
Led on methodological design of an innovative multi-phase mixed-methods study on immigrant ideology and identity
Designed client assessments of workplace belonging by synthesizing survey, interview, and focus group data
Consulted on narrative strategy informed by social science insights to improve inclusion in children’s media
Created knowledge translation tools and processes to help staff apply emerging findings to real-world projects
Morgan Hill Open Studios
UX Researcher Freelance Consultant, Mountain View, CA
April 2023 — Present
Conduct interviews, evaluate user journeys, and create wireframes to support a Bay Area town’s local art studios event
Pilot the UX solution on the 2025 event in October
NYU Langone School of Medicine - R01 Study on Food Ads & Adolescent Health
Data Analyst, New York, NY
April 2023 — August 2023
Analyze experimental data with regression, factor analysis, and SEM to investigate impact of influencer race on teen health
New York University — Social Perception, Action & Motivation Lab
Graduate Research Assistant, New York, NY
May 2021 - August 2023
Led a team of 18 in data collection and analysis of 8,500+ social media images coded by over 5,000 participants on Qualtrics
Presented research to educators, lab members, and social psychologists at meetings, events, and international conference
Remodeled a coding guide to evaluate language used in news articles that discuss gender disparities in leadership
Fordham University – Critical Health + Social Ecology Lab
Graduate Research Assistant, New York, NY
September 2021 – May 2022
Collaborated as second author in a manuscript on food gentrification to be submitted to academic journals
NYU Langone School of Medicine – Brain, Obesity & Diabetes Lab
Clinical Neuropsychology Extern, New York, NY
September 2021 – February 2022
Conducted cognitive testing of cognitive functioning via a diverse set of methods and batteries
Spearheaded a scoring program on Excel to automatically generate scaled and standardized scores for cognitive tests
Santa Clara University – Economics Department
Research Assistant, Santa Clara, CA
February 2016 – June 2017
Developed interactive choropleth maps of poverty indicators in R to support local nonprofits in distribution of resources
Education
New York University, MA in Psychology
August 2021 – May 2023
New York, NY
GPA: 4.0
1st place at NYU MA Psychology Poster Conference
Recipient of MA Research Award, MA Conference Award, and Master Mentorship Model Award
Relevant coursework: Fundamentals of User Experience, Structural Equation Modeling, Psychometrics, Regression & Multivariate Statistics, Scientific Programming, Attitudes & Evaluation (PhD), Group Inequality & Conflict (PhD), Prejudice & Stereotyping (PhD), Theories of Social Psychology (PhD)
Santa Clara University, BS in Economics & BS in Psychology
September 2013 – June 2017
Santa Clara, CA
GPA: 3.8
Magna cum laude, University Honors Program, Dean’s List (top 10% of class), Psi Chi Psych Honors Society
Skills
Statistics: Regression (Linear, Multiple, Multinomial, Logistic), ANOVA, Factor Analysis, Principal Components Analysis, Psychometrics, Structural Equation Modeling, Path Analysis
Programming Languages: R, Python
Research: Qualitative & Quantitative, Survey Design (Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey), Usability Testing, Ideation Workshops, Benchmarking, Interviewing, Cognitive Testing, Data Collection, Academic Writing, CITI Certified, Experienced with IRB
Additional Work Experience
New York University Department of Psychology
Personality Teacher’s Assistant, New York, NY
January 2022 – May 2022
Prepared weekly slide decks to review and apply lecture material in recitation sessions with 30 students per class
Supported students during weekly office hours, ran midterm review sessions, and constructed midterm and final exams
Marsh USA, Inc.
Vice President, Cargo Insurance Broker & Advisor, San Francisco, CA & New York, NY
July 2017 – August 2021
Yielded over $2.5M in annual premium as lead cargo insurance broker for over 120 Fortune 500 global clients
Pitched proposals, exhibits, and spreadsheets to assess supply chain risk and discuss insurance programs with clients
North American Marine Education Leader: generated monthly educational events, launched Strength in Diversity Series
Co-Chair of San Francisco Women’s Group, member of Colleague Council, leader in office fundraising for charity campaign
Santa Clara University Department of Economics
Econometrics & R Teacher’s Assistant, Santa Clara, CA
January 2017 – June 2017
Facilitated teaching R programming and econometrics to students during labs and weekly office hours
Select Academic Projects
System Justification Across Immigrant Generation
January 2023 - March 2024
Created a research proposal, designed the survey, collected and analyzed data, and presented findings testing a moderated mediation model exploring the role of immigrant generation on system-justifying beliefs as a result of perceived choice, cognitive dissonance, and perceived discrimination
Can IRI Empathy Profiles Predict Hypothetical Donation Levels?
January 2022 – May 2022
Conducted a psychometric profile analysis using Principal Components Analysis to predict donations in a public goods game
Predictors of Prosocial Behavior and the role of Avoided Negative Affect
September 2016 – June 2017
Led, organized, and executed an experimental study on predictors of donations of time and money, analyzed with regression
Catalan & Castellano within a Family of Internal Immigrants in Barcelona
August 2015 – December 2015
Conducted and thematically analyzed interviews in Spanish of a Catalan family on social differences in languages in Barcelona
Changing Education for ESL T-Kindergarten & Kindergarten Students
March 2017 – June 2017
Synthesized results from interviews of Kindergarten & TK teachers on effects of a new education program on ESL students