About
psyML
A knowledge company for the digital human
psyML is a company born from the growing need to better understand the psychological states people express online, as human interaction becomes increasingly digital. As technologies like Facebook, Google, and thousands of other online consumer services become ubiquitous in our lives, it is socially important and measurably valuable to include systems that account for the individual human, who is currently lost in the analytical ocean of directed clicks.
psyML’s goal is to put humanity back into the system. From consumer behavior to online entertainment to critical services like healthcare, finance and social services, psyML helps foster a transparent, supportive relationship between ourselves and our machines.
At its core, psyML is a company dedicated to the measurement and understanding of psychological and cognitive states within any digital technology, so as to provide systems that lead to positive change at unprecedented scale. This philosophy was first actualized at eHarmony, where psyML CEO Galen Buckwalter, PhD, developed the first large-scale usage of psychometrics, helping match people for personal relationships.
Over the course of 20+ years, Dr. Buckwalter has explored this thesis within a variety of verticals, developing a deep expertise in understanding assessment at scale and discovering a like-minded partner with whom to forge next wave digital innovation, Kai Mildenberger.
Kai has been building software and data-based ventures over his career, from enterprise class business applications in ERP (MK Group at Computer Associates, GLOVIA) and security (Access360, now IBM TIM), to disruptive vertical search (SupplyFrame).
For the last 5 years, Kai has been investigating the propagation of influence across social network structures to better understand its impact on the social, political and economical environment. With the advent of social speech, the centuries-old rulebook of mass media has been upended, and companies need to understand how to apply emerging tools to build transparency and resonance into modern communication.
Let psyML help bring the potent combination of psychometrics and deep learning to your business goals at the intersection of human and artificial intelligence.
TEAM
GALEN BUCKWALTER
Dr. Buckwalter has been a research psychologist for over 25 years, starting in academia where he worked primarily on the effects of hormones on cognition during pregnancy and aging at USC. Later, he started a behavioral outcomes research program at Kaiser Permanente and ultimately through a number of serendipitous events, became the creator of the assessment and matching system as the Chief Science Officer for eHarmony. Since then, Galen has worked in both academia and industry, including research at the Institute for Creative Sciences at USC using VR to develop a resilience training program for Marines, and most recently at Payoff, as CSO, a financial services company focused on using psychology to remove debt from their lives. Galen’s talent is bringing people together and attracting wild parrots in his yard.
KAI MILDENBERGER
Kai has been building companies and products since 1991. He has been involved either as founder, CEO, CTO or COO in 15 startups (thus far). He has raised angel funding as well as institutional rounds and experienced exits ranging from mergers, acquisitions to IPO. When not working on a new venture, Kai has been successfully turning around engineering organizations. Kai’s passion is building successful companies, products and sustainable industry-leading teams. He has an intuitive understanding of technology and has spent most of his career taming the ‘bleeding edge.’ His current passion on technology lies in combining 1st order logic with massive amounts of unstructured or semi-structured data.
JINSHU CUI
Jinshu Cui works on psychometrics, data mining, and product development at psyML. She obtained her Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology at the University of Southern California, where she used psychometrics, data science, and game theory to study people’s responses following extreme events. Her work has been published in multiple journals, proceedings, and books, including Risk Analysis and Decision Analysis. Jinshu received her M.S. in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her talent is picking snacks.
IDA JOHNSSON
Ida Johnsson is a research data scientist at psyML. She obtained her Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Southern California, where she also received a M.Sc. in Quantitative Economics. Her work focuses on econometric modeling and predictive models for networks and correlated time series. She is also interested in data engineering and loves to build data pipelines. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, cooking and strength training.
ARIANA SHIVES
Ariana Shives is psyML’s Program Manager, she has a background in psychology and a neuroscience degree from USC. A current student in USC’s M.S. Social Entrepreneurship program, Ariana has a passion for making the world a better place. In her spare time, Ariana enjoys competing in triathlons.
SAM LESSING
Sam Lessing designs and analyzes psychometric assessments and creates new mathematical models to streamline the pathway from raw data to readable psychological narratives. In high school Sam completed a mathematics major at Middlebury College, culminating in a thesis on discrete and differential entropy. He then studied at Brown University earning a dual degree in applied math and visual art, winning the Joslin Award for excellence in Art on graduation. Outside of psyML his main interests are sculpture, ceramics, and going to the spa.
DAVID LOKER
David Loker, M.Math., is an award-winning researcher in machine learning with more than 12 years of industry experience. From supply chain optimization at Amazon, to personalization and recommendation systems at Netflix, David has an in-depth, practical understanding of statistical modeling and machine learning techniques. His extensive industry experience includes the formation and management of teams of engineers and data scientists.
DANI HART
Dani Hart is a Clinical Researcher at psyML where she’s following her burning desire to better understand modern-day burnout and how psychometrics, yoga, and diet can help better humanity. With a background in marketing and environmental studies, Dani has led growth efforts at GrowthHackers, managed the marketing automation and direct mail at Payoff, and has helped test new online fundraising strategies with international nonprofits such as Defenders of Wildlife, Greenpeace, WWF and The Wilderness Society.
JARROD STRINGER
Jarrod writes content for psyML. When he’s not writing, he’s lefting, which tells you something of his ambidexterity. Writing at psyML is about exploring different ways of thinking and being, which is a delight and a welcome challenge. Outside of producing high quality, unforgettable content for psyML , Jarrod also enjoys creative writing, kayaking, and hanging out with his wife. His two favorite authors are Edgar Allan Poe and Shakespeare, and rumor has it, he reads them for fun.