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Yuliya Zubak / Юля Зубак

Graduate Student with Tim Pleskac
Indiana University - Bloomington
yzubak (at) iu.edu


Academic Background

I went into undergrad with an emphasis on practicality, like genetic engineering. In the process, I developed an interest in the cognitive origins of the collective dynamics of social groups.

I justify my switch with a simple revelation: it’s networks all the way down, and all the way up.

I began my research career in Elise Heon’s clinical genetics lab. I learned about the complexity of epigenetic modification here, and am still deeply fascinated by the potential ramifications.

I briefly participated in data analysis on a children’s cochlear implant project, visualizing how language shapes the brain, before joining Julien Muffat’s neuroimmunology lab, where I learned about the complexity the brain holds, both in cell and interaction types—insight into why the brain is such a hard to model system.

I did my undergraduate thesis with Yuliya Nikolova and learned how many layers of networks there are between genetics and complex social behaviour, another concept that captured my rapt attention. It’s networks all the way up (and down!), which are deeply impacted by the many means of communication we engage in with others and ourselves.

After graduating, I worked in Martin Jonikas’ lab, following one of my deeply held beliefs— finding a means for our society to stabilize our presence on this planet. I have deep respect for this work, but propaganda and its consequences ultimately decides the scope of acceptable global action..

I just finished being the lab manager for Robert Hawkin’s Social Interaction Lab, Where I studied how people converge on a shared underlying belief in a social network. I’m now a graduate student with Tim Pleskac at Indiana!

Personal Background

I am a Ukrainian-Canadian. My parents’ friends experienced their world and its ideologies collapse in their 20s, and subsequently committed to a fascinating number and variety of niche ideologies and faiths.

I have been interested in Solving Big Problems and Understanding Everything from a young age, and spent a while being insufferable about it- or very engaging and fun, if you’re of the same genre.

I have really strong opinions on futurism and What Makes Sci-fi Good, and occasionally enjoy dipping my toes into cosmic horrors beyond knowledge and conscious grasp haunting the edges of the mundane.

I love viewing the world from the eyes of others. I try to befriend everyone, even if just a little bit :)

The rest of my personality can be derived from the elements presented here, and is left as an exercise for the reader. Or just email/slack me, it’ll be fun. Send me your strangest belief held sincerely!

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