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Hire Dr. Joseph C.

United States

USD 75 /hr

Harvard Postdoc & PhD Psychologist | A/B Testing, Experimentation, User Behavior Analysis & Machine Learning Specialist

Profile Summary

Harvard Postdoctoral Fellow and PhD Psychologist with 10+ years of expertise in experimental design, A/B testing, and advanced behavioral analytics. Specialized in translating rigorous academic research methodologies into actionable business insights for growth optimization. Research Expertise: • Designed and analyzed large-scale behavioral experiments using A/B testing frameworks across diverse user populations • Developed personalization algorithms using Bayesian mixture models to optimize user experiences based on individual behavioral patterns • Published research demonstrating scalable intervention strategies that "equalize" learning outcomes, with direct applications to conversion optimization Technical Skills: • Advanced statistical modeling in Python (pandas, scikit-learn, statsmodels) and R (tidyverse, brms, lme4) • Machine learning applications: Bayesian modeling, classification, regression, time-series analysis • Expert in A/B testing platforms, experimental design, and causal inference methodologies Business Applications: • 10+ years translating complex analytical insights into clear, goal-driven actions • Experience presenting findings to diverse stakeholders and mentoring dozens of team members with diverse backgrounds and skillsets • Proven track record designing experiments that identify scalable interventions and drive measurable improvements in user outcomes Available for: Statistical consulting, A/B testing design and analysis, behavioral data analysis, machine learning model development, research methodology consulting, and experimental design for business optimization.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ★ Data Analysis
• ★ Python
• ★ Survey Design & Methodology
• ☆ Machine Learning
• ☆ Statistics
• ☆ Cognitive Science
• ☆ Child & Adolescent Psychology
• ☆ Developmental Psychology
• ☆ Applied Psychology
• ☆ Learning & Memory
• ☆ Human-Computer Interactions (HCI)
• ☆ Child Development
• ☆ Science Outreach
• ☆ Educational Innovation
• ☆ Science Education
• ☆ R
• ☆ Scikit-learn
• ☆ Hypothesis
• ☆ Peer Review
• ☆ Research Methodology
• ☆ User Research
• ☆ Quantitative User Research
• ☆ Qualitative User Research
• ☆ Literature Search
• ☆ Skills Training
• ☆ Technical & Scientific Writing
• ☆ Manuscript & Journal Article Writing
• ☆ Instructional Materials
• ☆ Experimental Protocols
• ☆ SOP & Protocol Writing
• ☆ Science Communication

Services

• Writing
• Research
• Consulting
• Data & AI
• Product Development

Writing General Proofreading & Editing

Research Market Research, User Research, Scientific and Technical Research, Systematic Literature Review, Secondary Data Collection

Consulting Business Strategy Consulting, Digital Strategy Consulting, Scientific and Technical Consulting

Data & AI Predictive Modeling, Statistical Analysis, Algorithm Design-ML, Data Visualization, Big Data Analytics, Data Mining, Data Processing, Data Insights

Product Development Product Validation, Concept Development

Work Experience

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Harvard University

- Present

Education

Ph.D., Experimental Psychology

Rutgers University

September 2018 - August 2023

Bachelors, Applied Mathematics

Rutgers University

September 2012 - May 2016

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Joseph Colantonio, Ilona Bass, Yee Lee Shing, Sobanawartiny Wijeakumar, Courtney McKay, Eva Rafetseder, Allyson P. Mackey, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2025). Computational Approaches Reveal Developmental Shifts in Exploratory Play . Developmental Science.

Garvin Brod, Elfriede Holstein, Leonie Weindorf, Joseph Colantonio, Elizabeth Bonawitz, Maria Theobald (2025). Do it yourself: discerning the effects of self-directed activity on conceptual learning . npj Science of Learning.

Ilona Bass, Joseph Colantonio, Rosie Aboody, Michelle Wong, Tomer Ullman, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2025). Children's sensitivity to automatic behavior relates to pedagogical reasoning and Theory of Mind . Frontiers in Developmental Psychology.

Joseph A. Colantonio, Igor Bascandziev, Maria Theobald, Garvin Brod, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2024). Predicting Learning: Understanding the Role of Executive Functions in Children's Belief Revision Using Bayesian Models . Topics in Cognitive Science.

Maria Theobald, Joseph Colantonio, Igor Bascandziev, Elizabeth Bonawitz, Garvin Brod (2024). Do reflection prompts promote children's conflict monitoring and revision of misconceptions? . Child Development.

Joseph A. Colantonio, Igor Bascandziev, Maria Theobald, Garvin Brod, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2023). Priors, Progressions, and Predictions in Science Learning: Theory-Based Bayesian Models of Children’s Revising Beliefs of Water Displacement . IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems.

Joseph Colantonio, Igor Bascandziev, Maria Theobald, Garvin Brod, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2023). Seeing the Error in My “Bayes”: A Quantified Degree of Belief Change Correlates with Children’s Pupillary Surprise Responses Following Explicit Predictions . Entropy.

Joseph Colantonio, Igor Bascandziev, Maria Theobald, Garvin Brod, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2023). Seeing the Error in My “<i>Bayes</i>”: A Quantified Degree of Belief Change Correlates with Children’s Pupillary Surprise Responses Following Explicit Predictions . Entropy.

Joseph Colantonio, Kelley Durkin, Leyla Roksan Caglar, Patrick Shafto, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2021). The Intentional Selection Assumption . Frontiers in Psychology.

Jonathan F. Kominsky, Katarina Begus, Ilona Bass, Joseph Colantonio, Julia A. Leonard, Allyson P. Mackey, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2021). Organizing the Methodological Toolbox: Lessons Learned From Implementing Developmental Methods Online . Frontiers in Psychology.

Kimele Persaud, Ilona Bass, Joseph Colantonio, Carla Macias, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2020). Opportunities and challenges integrating resource-rational analysis with developmental perspectives . Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

DISSERTATION THESIS

Bayesian models of children’s belief revision, pupillary-surprise response, and executive function when generating predictions in science learning @article{https://doi.org/10.7282/t3-ggmj-j222, doi = {10.7282/T3-GGMJ-J222}, url = {https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/72653}, author = {Colantonio, Joseph Anthony}, title = {Bayesian models of children’s belief revision, pupillary-surprise response, and executive function when generating predictions in science learning}, publisher = {No Publisher Supplied}, year = {2023}} . No Publisher Supplied.

CONFERENCE PAPER

Joseph Colantonio, Elizabeth Bonawitz (2018). Awesome play: Awe increases preschooler’s exploration and discovery .