About me

Hello! I’m Kei Yoshida (吉田 慶 in Japanese; pronounced /ˈkeɪ/, just like the letter K), and I am a PhD candidate in cognitive science at Brown University (Providence, RI, USA). I work with Dr. William H. Warren in the Virtual Environment Navigation Lab (VENLab), Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences (CoPsy).

I am also pursuing a concurrent master’s degree in computer science (Brown CS) through the Open Graduate Education program.

My research interests lie in how individual people in motion perceive and act in dynamic environments. In my PhD research, I investigate how pedestrians influence each other’s movement, and how these interactions propagate to shape the collective dynamics of crowds. I am focusing on uncovering the dynamic interaction mechanism in crowds using networks, and investigating the effects of assigned leaders on crowd motions. Please check out my research work here.

Before joining the VENLab, I earned my B.A. in computer science and psychology at Coe College (Cedar Rapids, IA, USA). I worked with Dr. Benjamin Chihak, who introduced me to the world of navigation and locomotion research in the natural and virtual environment.