Research
Authentic exploration of Expertise identification, performance psychology, and adolescent learning
Research Program Overview
My research trajectory spans three interconnected areas that collectively address fundamental gaps in how we understand learning, Expertise, and human performance. Each area reflects a commitment to bridging theory and practice, challenging established assumptions, and centering the perspectives of those most affected by our educational and professional systems.
The unifying thread across this work: identifying what's missing in how we theorize about people, and building frameworks that fill those gaps.
Research Areas
Expertise Identification (D2PT)
Development of Descriptor-Driven Performance Testing (D2PT), an innovative methodology that challenges traditional credentialing systems. D2PT demonstrates that beneficiaries can identify Expert performance more accurately than institutional stakeholders, privileging the perspectives of those who directly experience services. A comprehensive book on D2PT methodology is currently in development with Routledge Psychology.
Performance Under Pressure
Co-founder of The Panic Lab, investigating training, memory, and performance responses to high-intensity scenarios across sports, emergency response, and decision-making contexts. This work explores how learned skills are maintained—or lost—under conditions of acute stress and uncertainty.
Adolescent Learning Framework
A career-spanning exploration into the learning needs of adolescents (approximately 14-35 years old) that reveals a critical gap in educational theory. Adolescents are treated as either large children (pedagogy) or incomplete adults (andragogy), when they represent a distinct developmental stage requiring their own learning framework. Understanding how adolescent neurodevelopment, identity formation, peer relationships, autonomy needs, and search for meaning inform learning design.