nerdy bio

Who are you, and what do you do?

I'm Dorsa Amir, and I'm a postdoctoral researcher in the UC Berkeley Department of Psychology. My academic research is a blend of anthropology and developmental psychology. Briefly, I explore how children's behavior varies as a result of the culture that they live in, and I do fieldwork outside the US with populations like the Shuar in Amazonian Ecuador.

Outside of academic research, I try to do as much science outreach as I can on the radio, in public talks, and through organizations like TED-Ed.

What hardware(tools) and software do you use?

Like many other academics, I'm an Apple fan. I'm currently working on a [2021 MacBook Pro][macbook-pro], which lives on my laptop stand as a secondary monitor. It's linked to my main monitor, a [27" LG 27UP600][27up600-w]. I also use a [Magic Mouse][magic-mouse] and [Magic Keyboard][magic-keyboard] in this setup, along with foot & wrist support (PSA: everyone should fine-tune their work station so it's ergonomically set up!). I also use an [iPhone 13 Pro][iphone-13-pro], an Apple Watch, and an [iPad Air][ipad-air].

I'm a bit obsessed with productivity software. The basics are easy: [Google Drive][google-drive] for file storage, [Microsoft Office][office], [Google Docs][google-docs] for writing, [RStudio][] for data analysis, [Zotero][] for citation management, [Slack][] for team communication, and [Adobe Suite][creative-suite]. But I also use lots of tiny, specialized apps. I really like [Flow.app][flow.2], which shuts down distractions so you can focus. I use [BetterTouchTool][] for window organization (it's so nice to have custom keyboard shortcuts to split windows), [CopyClip 2][copyclip-2] to keep a record of what's been on my clipboard, and [MailTab Pro][mailtab-pro] for [Gmail][] to see a little floating window of my inbox in my menu bar. I also love [Vector Magic][vector-magic] for auto-vectorizing images, and [Procreate][procreate-ios] for iPad doodling.

What would be your dream/dream setup?

I'm living the dream, folks, I wouldn't change much. I guess if I had to answer, I would want one of the shiny new Mac Studio Displays, but I can't quite justify the price tag.