Katy Walter Preston, PhD

Senior Analyst, Global Consumer Insights - Ugg

Deckers Brands · Santa Barbara, California, United States

Present

Senior Associate Global Tracking

Material · Santa Barbara, California, United States

Postdoctoral Researcher

UC Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, California, United States

Innovation Insights Phd Intern

WeightWatchers · New York, United States

● Led a research project examining what customers meant when they said they wanted “accountability” o Designed study to uncover customers’ implicit and explicit definitions & drivers of accountability o Created an easy-to-understand slide deck to communicate findings to the entire organization o Provided actionable insights to refine new product design & provided clarity on company mission o Impacted the design of new coach training programs & led to increased NPS

Applied Behavioral Science Phd Intern

WeightWatchers · New York, United States

● Collaborated on a research project to create personas of new customers. Designed survey and statistical analysis plan—using data-driven machine learning techniques ● Researched and created a summary of the role gamification plays in successful product design

Phd Student Researcher

UC Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, California, United States

● Leadership and management of 8 human-subjects research projects ● Collaborated with researchers in 45 different countries and analyzed data from over 14,000 participants to understand what humans want in romantic partners and potential sources of individual differences ● Collected dyadic data from over 700 couples and built agent-based models to examine how humans use dealbreaker information to choose romantic partners in complex mating markets ● Leading a diverse team to study the psychology of LGBTQ+ individuals using machine learning techniques ● Received the Richard E. Mayer Award for Outstanding Research Contribution in Psychology ● Received the Abdullah (Al) and Marjorie R. Nasser Graduate Student Memorial Award; awarded to students who have a strong scholarly record and have contributed to the broader department and UCSB community

Instructor of Record

UC Santa Barbara

Independently developed and taught college-level courses: Social Psychology and Human Mating Psychology Taught over 200 college students, through online and in-person instruction. Developed original curriculum & slide decks, delivered lectures & facilitated discussion. Covered topics including: cognitive biases and persuasion techniques, inter-group cooperation and conflict, interpersonal relationships, romantic partner preferences, hormones and attraction, mate choice and competition, jealousy, and love. Created and assigned weekly readings and short answer assignments, tested students through quizzes, and helped students develop and write essays.

Co-President & Mentor @ Access Grads: a Mentorship Program for Psychology Students

UC Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, California, United States

● Led an organization of 151 people that aims to increase diversity in psychology by pairing first generation and/or minority undergraduate students with graduate student mentors ● Assessed whether program is meeting objectives by designing surveys, collecting and analyzing longitudinal data, presenting results to the team, and implementing improvements to program ● Helped to secure and distribute over $48,000 in funding to improve graduate school accessibility through direct resources to students, such as paying for graduate school application fees ● Formally mentored 15 undergraduates, 8 of whom are underrepresented minority students

President of Vassar On Tap

Vassar College · Poughkeepsie, NY

• Organized and taught classes for all levels of tap dancers in Vassar's one and only tap dancing club. Directed twice yearly tap performances and choreographed original dances. • Led board meetings and appropriated funds for club events. Collaborated with other organizations and tripled club membership.

Choreographer & Member @ Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre

Vassar College · Poughkeepsie, NY

• Created an original dance annually: communicated vision to dancers and faculty, collaborated with and directed dancers, oversaw lighting, costuming, and staging. Led and organized rehearsals weekly. • Performed five times each year in original faculty and student pieces of various styles including ballet, modern, and jazz.

Physics Lab Assistant/Grader

Vassar College · Poughkeepsie, NY

• Assisted approximately 40 students in introduction to physics over the course of a year with 12 laboratory experiments in mechanics and electromagnetics. • Graded and provided feedback on lab notebooks of twenty students on a weekly basis.