My name is Haily, and I am a first-generation, queer multidisciplinary scientist with training spanning the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and computational sciences. My work approaches brain science from a humanistic perspective, drawing from biological theory and complex systems science methods, with consequences for the social sciences.

I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Assistant with Dr. Sofia Teixeira at the Network Science Institute, Northeastern University London where I am using the tools of network science to understand the interconnections between social networks, mental health, brain networks, and behavior.

Before my postdoc, I did a dual PhD at Indiana University in Informatics (Complex Networks and Systems track) and Cognitive Science. For my dissertation work, I used a lot of math to show why our brains care about having quality relationships. This took two forms: On the one hand, I applied cutting edge techniques from network science to characterize how brain network organization varies across social environments over developmental time. I also linked this variation to different outcomes for mental health, cognition, social behavior, and life experiences. On the other hand, I built minimal models of social interaction to understand the foundations of sociality. This line of work involved methodology from evolutionary robotics, artificial neural networks, dynamical systems theory, information theory, and social psychology. In combining these two forms of research, I aim to build a comprehensive narrative of the centrality of social relationships for our wellbeing.

Currently, I am the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator for Women in Network Science (WiNS), an international organization that aims to foster opportunities for education, employment, and career advancement of women, trans and non-binary genders in network science. I have been on the executive committee of WiNS for about 5 years. I also help organize the Women in Network Science Seminar Series, so feel free to reach out if you or someone you know would be a great speaker for our series, or if you have questions about the series or WiNS in general!

I love to connect with researchers from diverse venues and expand my research horizons, so I regularly share my work at conferences dedicated to the social and developmental sciences (e.g. SANS, SRA), human neuroimaging (e.g. OHBM), complex systems and network science (e.g. NetSci), artificial life (e.g. ALIFE), and more. I collaborate broadly so I can learn from brilliant scholars in various fields and have published on topics as diverse as astropolitics, media studies, psycholinguistics, and developmental psychology. I also seek out diverse training opportunities, including in complex systems (e.g. Sante Fe Institute Complex Systems Summer School, AccelNet-Multinet Meeting, Complex Networks Winter Workshop, Multinet Exchange Fellowship) and other places.

I have received a variety of awards across fields for my work, including being named an Emerging Scholar in Psychological Science, an NSF Research Traineeship in Complex Networks and Systems, ALIFE 2022 Top 5 Papers, Outstanding Teaching Award, an AccelNet MultiNet Exchange Fellowship, as well as nominations for many other prestigious awards.

Before graduate school, I managed a social neuroecology lab at Cornell University. As an undergraduate, I studied Cognitive Science, Linguistics, and Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University. I have always been thoroughly multidisciplinary :)

Outside of academia, I love reading, painting, and gardening.

If you want to get in touch, my email is h.merritt @ nulondon . ac . uk