Welcome! My name is Matt Hays. This is my website. I hope none of this is coming as a surprise to you.

About My Work

In May 2002, I earned my B.S. in Cognitive Psychology from Duke University. In June 2009, I earned my Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. The chair of my dissertation committee was Robert Bjork. I'm now a Research Associate at the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California. My advisor is H. Chad Lane. I study learning--especially how feedback can enhance it--in serious games and simulations. I also design assessment tools, and serve as the external evaluator on multiple NSF proposals.

About the Rest of My Life

Since I graduated, I've started turning back into a human. I don't bring work home on weekends or evenings. I spend those times with my girlfriend, my friends, a movie, heart-attack-inducing Duke basketball games, or beach gymnastics. I enjoy cooking and I am pretty amazing with a BBQ grill. I like video games, but it turns out I'm not great at them (which fortunately doesn't impair my job performance). If you'd like to know more, I hope this site helps!