Research
My research philosophy is to make science more rigorous through the development and improvement of statistical methods. I am also a believer in making science and statistics more accessible, and as such I create packages that make my methodological developments easier to implement and write accompanying tutorial or pedagogical articles. See more about my work on my personal website!
CSI Lab
I am the head of the Computational and Statistical Inference (CSI) Lab (learn more below). If you want to improve or apply complex statistical methods in a research setting, apply to join the team! (Graduate and undergraduate students welcome.)
The Computational and Statistical Inference (CSI) Lab is based on three pillars: mentorship (professional development), research (methodological or substantive), and programming (e.g., R, Python). We take on a variety of projects and are always open to consultation or collaboration. We have presented at local, regional, national, and international conferences!
Read more about the team below:
 |
Jacob Coutts, PhD, MAS - Head of the CSI Lab
Jacob does research on statistical methods and creates packages to make these methods more accessible to applied researchers. He is interested in mediation & moderation analysis, power analysis, dyadic data, resampling methods, and data visualization. He has a passion for collaboration and mentorship. He also loves sports, stand-up, and movies.
Contact: jjcoutts@umd.edu
|
 |
Hana Lee - 3rd Year Social Data Science Student
Hana is interested in social science research regarding public policy, transportation, and social inequality. After graduation, she wants to work as a data scientist and continue to do research. She is excited to be leading her own study on transportation at UMD and further develop her knowledge in data analysis and statistics.
Contact: hlee1241@terpmail.umd.edu
|
 |
Molly Goldstein - 4th Year Psychology Honors Student
Molly is a fourth year psychology student in the Honors program. Molly interested in Clinical Psychology, specifically in bettering diagnostics and understanding surrounding Adolescent neurodevelopment disorders such as ADHD, the treatment of Addiction Disorder, and possible connections between the two. After graduation, she wants to continue research into adolescent neurodevelopment disorders, and work in an addiction treatment center while pursuing higher education. Molly is a dog lover, avid swimmer, and loves to read psychological thrillers on her free time!
Contact: mgoldst9@terpmail.umd.edu
|
 |
Sarina Li - 3rd Year Social Data Science Student (Sociology Track)
Sarina is a third year social data science student on the sociology track. Sarina is interested in how social stratification manifests throughout American society, with particular focus on the experiences of marginalized racial, gender, and sexual minorities. After graduation, Sarina hopes to continue exploring the applications of more complex quantitative data science methods to sociological research. Outside of the lab, Sarina likes to draw, attend local music shows, and read comics.
Contact: sli12322@terpmail.umd.edu
|
 |
Jules Nefflen - 4th Year Psychology Student
Jules is a third-year psychology student with a special interest in educational and school psychology. After graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in psychology. One day, she hopes to provide hands-on academic, behavioral, and mental health interventions to children in the school system. Jules spends her free time dancing with Phunktions Dance Company, reading fantasy novels, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and crocheting.
Contact: jneffle1@terpmail.umd.edu
|
CSI Lab Alum
Irene Navaleza (Lab Manager, Research Assistant)
Accolades: Excellence in Research Award (URD); Outstanding Accomplishments in Psychology
Current Position: PhD Student in Quantitative Psychology at the University of Oklahoma
----
Katy Lamb (Research Assistant)
Accolades: Outstanding Accomplishments in Psychology
Current Position: Consultant at ZS
----
Salma Younis (Research Assistant)
Accolades: Outstanding Accomplishments in Psychology
Current Position: Post-Bacc at NIDA
----
Projects the CSI lab has worked on...
Coutts, J.J., & Hayes, A.F. (2025). Measurement error- and heteroskedasticity-robust analysis of covariance. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Newfoundland, CA, 13 June 2025.
Navaleza, I., Coutts, J.J., Lamb, K., Younis, S., & Goldstein, M. (2025). The (less than great) state of quantitative training in psychology. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Psychological Science, Washington, DC, 24 May 2025.
Lee, H., Navaleza, I., & Coutts, J.J. (2025). Let’s take a ride: Predicting utilization of and positive experiences with public transportation. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Psychological Science, Washington, DC, 24 May 2025.
Lamb, K., Navaleza, I., & Coutts, J.J. (2025). Now and later: A time-series analysis of programming language trends in data analytics job postings. Poster presented at the Undergraduate Research Day, College Park, MD, 23 April 2025.
Goldstein, M.. Navaleza, I., & Coutts, J.J. (2025). No small measure: Scale development for pediatric ADHD stigma. Poster presented at the Psychology Undergraduate Research Day, College Park, MD, 23 April 2025.
Lee, H., Navaleza, I., & Coutts, J.J. (2024). Addressing the replication crisis: Can we close the gap with the bootstrap? Poster presented at the Student Undergraduate Research Conference. College Park, MD, 19 July 2024.
Lamb, K., Navaleza, I., & Coutts, J.J. (2024). From data to diagnosis: Machine learning advancements in autism screening. Poster presented at the Student Undergraduate Research Conference. College Park, MD, 19 July 2024.
Younis, S., Navaleza, I., & Coutts, J.J. (2024). Exploring non-motor symptoms in motor neuron disease. Poster presented at the Student Undergraduate Research Conference. College Park, MD, 19 July 2024.
Aflaki, D., Navaleza, I., & Coutts, J.J. (2024). Workplace wellness: Work stressors mediates the relationship between stress management programs and mental well-being. Poster presented at the Student Undergraduate Research Conference. College Park, MD, 19 July 2024.
Coutts, J.J. (2024). Course correction: A call for more effective quantitative pedagogy. Invited talk presented at the Rocky Mountain Methodology Academy. Calgary, CA, 17 July 2024.
Coutts, J.J. (2024). Research-supported approaches to addressing DEI in a methods-oriented class Poster presented at the Innovations of Teaching and Learning Conference, College Park, MD, 10 May 2024.
Navaleza, I., & Coutts, J.J. (2024). I’m worried I can’t do it all: Examining self-efficacy as a mediator between burnout and anxiety. Poster presented at the Psychology Undergraduate Research Day, College Park, MD, 22 April 2024.
Navaleza, I., & Coutts, J.J. (2024). Attention! Data Helps Diagnoses: A machine learning approach to predicting ADHD. Poster presented at the University of Maryland Research Fair, College Park, MD, 17 April 2024. (Outstanding research award winner.)
