Headshot of Rebecca Van Roy
Headshot of Rebecca Van Roy

People

Rebecca Van Roy

Human Computer Interaction & User Researcher

I’m a mixed-methods researcher on Product Foundation, the team responsible for creating a holistic experience across Facebook’s core app. I focus on understanding what constitutes meaningful experiences for people of all walks of life to help craft product design that is representative and empathic and ensure stakeholders put the user at the forefront of product development.

Before Facebook, I worked in global health, managing social marketing for an NGO focused on accelerating vaccine R&D to prevent neglected tropical diseases. I also worked in international development at the Inter-American Development Bank’s social innovation lab, where I consulted on digital products and in travel, at Trainline, where I built inferential and predictive behavioral models using machine learning.

I’m driven by connecting the dots between behavioral science, communication and technology to ignite innovative ways of aligning people, business and societal needs. I hold an MSc in management science: decision science from the London School of Economics, an MA in communication: digital technologies from Johns Hopkins University, and a BA in international economics and political science from University of Richmond.

Interests

Behavioral science, AI, social computing, cognitive biases, choice architecture, cross-cultural research, ethnography, perception, identity, the digital divide and women in STEM