PhD Candidate in Social Psychology
New York University

Nallely De La Rosa

I study how social beliefs and institutional contexts shape identity, opportunity, and decision-making.

My research examines how stereotypes and social environments influence what people perceive as possible, the choices they pursue, and how small differences in perception and decision-making can accumulate into unequal outcomes. I use experimental, quantitative, and computational methods, with emerging applications to technology, policy, and public decision-making.

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About

Research

I am a PhD candidate in social psychology at New York University, where I work in the Social Perception and Motivation Lab with Dr. Emily Balcetis. My research examines how stereotypes, identity, and social environments shape agency, belonging, and perceptions of opportunity.

My broader research program focuses on the cognitive reproduction of inequality: how social beliefs become embedded in everyday perceptions and decisions, and how those processes can reinforce unequal outcomes across people and institutions. I am increasingly interested in how this research can inform policy, technology, and institutional decision-making.

Before beginning my doctoral training, I conducted research on stereotyping and intergroup prejudice, child and adolescent health, and the social learning of group attitudes at California State University Northridge and Harvard University.

My Research Program

The Cognitive Reproduction of Inequality

I investigate how social beliefs and environments shape identity, agency, and decision-making, and how these processes can become embedded in institutions and technologies.

Stereotypes, Identity, and Agency

I examine how group-based expectations shape identity and behavior, especially when stereotypes appear positive, socially acceptable, or difficult to recognize as restrictive.

Belonging, Leadership, and Aspirations

I study how beliefs about leadership and ability influence who sees themselves as belonging in consequential roles and pursuing ambitious goals.

Institutions, Policy, and Technology

I explore how psychological processes become embedded in institutional decisions and technologies, and how evidence can inform more reliable and agency-preserving systems.

Selected Work

Research, policy, and public analysis

Selected work across peer-reviewed research, ongoing scholarship, policy translation, and social commentary.

Peer-Reviewed Research

Challenging Fixed Mindsets Fosters Belonging in Leadership among Adolescents from Historically Excluded Groups

This research examines whether challenging rigid beliefs about leadership can strengthen leadership identity and belonging among adolescents from historically excluded groups.

Read the article

Ongoing Doctoral Research

The Internalization of Benevolent Stereotypes

My current research examines why positive-sounding stereotypes can be difficult to recognize as restrictive and how these beliefs may shape identity, perceived agency, and aspirations.

View research poster

Policy Brief

Supporting Youth Participation Through Psychological Belonging

This brief examines how psychological belonging can support meaningful youth participation in public and institutional decision-making. It was submitted in response to a call for input from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Read the policy brief

Social Commentary

ICE’s Appearance-Based Policing Endangers Everyone

Published September 10, 2025

Human perception is unreliable. This essay examines what happens when appearance-based judgments are given legal force, with the harshest consequences falling on people of color.

Read the essay

Applied Experience

Research Translation and Policy Experience

I translate psychological research into policy briefs, stakeholder programming, and public-facing recommendations.

SPSSI United Nations NGO Team, opens in a new tab

Graduate Intern

I contribute to the Anti-Racism and LGBTQ+ Committees and support the translation of psychological research into international policy conversations.

Psychology Coalition at the United Nations, opens in a new tab

General Co-Chair, 2026 Youth Forum In-Person Event

I help coordinate programming focused on psychology, youth leadership, and social change.

Health Rights Initiative

Policy Research and Data Analysis

I conducted data analysis and prepared a policy report on health documentation in immigration detention contexts as a global human rights issue. The report is available upon request.

Methods and Training

A multi-method research toolkit

My training spans experimental social psychology, intergroup relations, developmental research, human-centered methods, and computational analysis.

Experimental and survey research
Quantitative modeling and psychometrics
Longitudinal and multilevel analysis
Natural language processing
Supervised machine learning
Qualitative interviews and usability testing
Data visualization and research communication
Eye tracking, EEG/ERP, and fMRI research training

Contact

Let’s connect

I welcome conversations related to social cognition, inequality, youth participation, policy translation, and responsible approaches to institutional and technological decision-making.