Andrew Perfors

Andrew Perfors is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne, leading the Complex Human Data Hub and the Computational Cognitive Science Lab within the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences. His research focuses on applying quantitative methods to understand higher-order cognition, including concepts, language, decision-making, and misinformation dynamics. He employs computational models and experimental approaches to investigate how cognitive constraints and social environments shape human behavior at individual and group levels.

Education: PhD in Brain & Cognitive Sciences (MIT, 2008), MA in Linguistics (Stanford, 2000), BSc in Symbolic Systems (Stanford, 1999).

Research Themes: Cognitive modeling of decision-making, cultural evolution, language acquisition, and misinformation spread. His work bridges computational methods with psychological experimentation, exploring topics like sampling assumptions in reasoning, trust in information sources, and the cognitive basis of gender categorization.

Key Projects: Active grants include Understanding Information and Trust (2018–2025), Bridging the Meaning Gap (2023–2027), and Anti-trans Disinformation Campaigns analysis. Recent work addresses misinformation mitigation strategies and the cognitive naturalness of trans-inclusive gender categories.

Grants & Collaborations: Funded by ARC and NHMRC. Collaborations include work on contact-tracing technologies during the pandemic and cross-cultural studies on privacy calculus.

Labs & Teams: Directs the Complex Human Data Hub, focusing on societal challenges like misinformation and cultural dynamics. Leads interdisciplinary teams in the Computational Cognitive Science Lab, integrating psychology, computer science, and linguistics.