David Pietraszewski

David Pietraszewski is a Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Department: Bildungsforschung), Berlin, Germany, equivalent to an Assistant Professor. He will join the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) faculty in March 2024. His research focuses on evolutionary psychology applied to social group dynamics, conflict representation, and cognitive mechanisms underlying categorization and leadership. He holds a B.A. from Ithaca College and a Ph.D. in Psychological and Brain Sciences from UCSB (2009), followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University until 2014.

Research interests include the evolutionary origins of social cognition, racial categorization, and the meta-scientific implications of psychologists' cognitive tools. His work integrates social, cognitive, developmental, and evolutionary methodologies, studying participants across ages and cultural contexts. Recent publications explore computational models of social groups, challenges to modular theories in evolutionary psychology, and leadership evolution.

His research highlights the interplay between evolutionary principles and modern psychological inquiry, aiming to improve scientific rigor through understanding cognitive biases in meta-science. No awards or grant information is explicitly listed in the provided materials.