About Rachel
Rachel Kowert, Ph.D is a research psychologist, award winning author, and globally recognized leader facilitating global policy and product development with non-profit, governmental, and non-governmental agencies for more than 15 years through data-driven research focused on mental health and trust and safety in digital games. She has spoken about her work to thousands of people across the globe, including the United Nations and the United States Congress. She has published a variety of books and scientific articles relating to the psychology of games and, more recently, the relationship between games and mental health specifically.
Rachel is also the founder of Psychgeist®, a multimedia content production studio for the science of games and pop culture.
Career Highlights
- Internationally-recognized subject matter expert for mental health and games, including topics relating to addiction, violence, and parenting in the digital age
- Groundbreaking the field of games and extremism as the PI on the first project examining this intersection funded by the Department of Homeland Security
- Internationally recognized research portfolio, 100+ scientific publications in outlets such as Frontiers in Psychology and Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
- Prominent media figure, 100+ appearances across national and international media outlets including NPR, CBC, New York Times, Wired Magazine, and The Atlantic
- Invited speaker at events hosted by the United Nations, US State Department, and US Congress about mental health and trust and safety challenges in gaming spaces
- Founded Psychgeist®, a multimedia content production studio for the science of games and pop culture
Select Experience
- Contributed to strategy, development, and execution of a research portfolio of more than $4M, including projects funded by Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action and the Canadian Resiliency Fund
- Established the research department at Take This and served as its first Research Director, overseeing $1M research portfolio over five years
- Influential voice on issues relating to trust and safety and digital technology, consulting with policy stakeholders on emerging regulatory issues, including members of the United States Congress, OFCOM, and Public Safety Canada.
- Worked closely with legal, product, and executive teams, to design and deliver collaborative projects across public, private, and government organizations. Partners have included Allianz, Nielsen, and the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).
- 10+ years experience serving private and public sector advisory committees and boards, including United Nations Global Mental Health Task Force, GIFCT, and Extremism in Games Research Network (EGRN)
Current Projects
- Finishing two-year project (funded by the Department of Homeland Security) examining the landscape of extremism in games. For the most recent outputs from this project, see here.
- Research fellowship at the Center for Digitalized Societies at the University of Munster (Summer 2024). During this fellowship, I will be conducting cross-cultural research related to the prevalence and severity of online social harms in collaboration with the lab of Prof. Thorsten Quandt.
- Editing The Psychgiest of Pop Culture (Play Story Press). The first collection in this series features 20 books highlighting iconic pop culture content from television, film, literature and video games. For the current releases, see here.
- I am currently open to new freelance projects for Fall/Winter 2024 (see details below).
Want to work together?
- Project consultation and support: I have consulted, designed, and/or executed 100+ projects on topics relating to mental health, digital literacy, and the uses and effects of games. I am currently open to new opportunities for project-based work.
- Workshops, guest lectures, and keynote presentations: Hosting an event? I have given more 100+ talks and workshops given across university, public, and online settings.
- Subject matter consultation: I am currently open to new consultation opportunities. I have previously consulted Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 companies on issues relating to digital well-being and consumer safety. This has included drafting expert opinion reports for litigation.
Side Projects
In addition to my research work, I currently have several side projects.
Tales from Cloud Canyon
Pragmatic Princess is the first series to come from the Tales from Cloud Canyon series of books. This collection is a series of 26 short-stories about everyday girls, doing everyday things, with their everyday abilities. I successfully kickstarted this project in 2019 and raised nearly $30,000 in 30 days.
Over the last few decades, interest in pop psychology has grown faster than most of our Netflix backlogs. This new series will highlight iconic pop culture content from television, film, literature, and video games through an examination of the psychological mechanisms that endear us to these stories for a lifetime. You can learn more about the series here.
