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About me, Resources, and Ph.D. FAQs

About me

My first name is pronounced dah-veed, per the Spanish pronunciation. My last name is “Munguia Gomez” (moon-ghee-ah go-mes).

I was born and raised in Mexicali, Mexico, on the border with the United States. Growing up there illustrated for me how the “lottery of birth” can shape our lives; factors like the country we are born into, our financial circumstances, and our skin color can matter for what becomes possible. These early observations are part of what draws me to questions about luck, merit, free will, fairness, etc.

I received my B.A. in Psychology from Princeton University. Between college and graduate school, I worked at ideas42, a behavioral science non-profit that partners with organizations to improve people’s lives. I then earned my Ph.D. in Behavioral Science from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Resources

Job market candidates: when I was on the market, examples from others made preparing my materials easier. I’m sharing mine here in the same spirit.

Ph.D. FAQs

Will you be reviewing applications this upcoming cycle?

Yes, I will be reviewing applications, but know that our admissions are voted on by the entire department, not just decided by individual faculty. As a department, we are interested in admitting students who could work with at least a couple of members of our faculty. In your statement and application, please mention the names of the faculty you are interested in working with — this will help make sure those faculty review your application.

How do I apply to Yale SOM?

For details about the program and where to apply, see the Yale SOM Ph.D. program website.

I’m interested in working with you. Can we chat?

We have a policy of not talking to individual applicants to avoid giving an unfair advantage to anyone. However, if your application advances in our process, we will have multiple opportunities to chat.

What are you looking for in a student?

More than anything, I am looking to collaborate with students who are deeply interested in similar research topics as I am. It is in both of our best interest to try to match along this dimension. We will do better research and enjoy it more if we are both working on a topic we are truly excited about.

Any advice on preparing a competitive application?

In your statement, I would love to learn what sorts of topics and questions you are interested in and would be excited to pursue. I recommend giving examples of a couple of research questions, rather than just describing your interests generally. The questions are meant to illustrate what you find interesting; they are not a commitment to studying those questions.

Some additional resources I recommend: Science Magazine’s tips on applying for a Ph.D., this guide to business school Ph.D. applications, and this guide to writing compelling research statements.