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 Postdoctoral 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.

About the Rest of My Life

I swam competitively up to and throughout high school. I gained weight competitively in college (thanks, pizza). I played racquetball somewhat competitively in graduate school (depending on who you ask). Nowadays, my physical activities are weightlifting, using the elliptical machine while TV on DVD (currently: West Wing), and weekend beach gymnastics.

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 some combination of those things. I enjoy cooking and I am pretty amazing with a BBQ grill. I'm a tremendous fan of rollercoasters and diet soda. 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!