My first name is pronounced dah-veed, per the Spanish pronunciation. My last name is “Munguia Gomez” (moon-ghee-ah go-mes); it is common in Latin America to use both one’s paternal (Munguia) and maternal (Gomez) last names.
I was born and raised in Mexico, on the border with the United States. Living on the border allowed me to attend K-12 in the U.S., learn English, and eventually attend college in the U.S. I earned a BA in Psychology from Princeton University.
Before starting graduate school I worked at ideas42, a non-profit dedicated to improving people’s lives with the tools of behavioral science. My work focused on increasing retirement savings in Mexico, reducing gun violence in major US cities, and helping Chileans build a savings buffer for emergencies. Applying research raised more questions than it answered, and it led me to realize that I most wanted to conduct basic research.
I am fascinated by questions about luck, merit, and fairness. Growing up on the border illustrated for me how the “lottery of birth” can shape our lives. It helped me see how un/lucky factors, like our country of birth, financial circumstances, and skin color, can matter. I aspire to further our understanding of how people make decisions, judge others, and consider what is fair, given the role of luck in people’s lives.