Austin Wyman
Austin Wyman is a 4th year graduate student in the Lab for Big Data Methodology. He is also a NSF GRFP recipient, a scholar in the Lucy Institute for Data and Society's Graduate Scholars program, and a fellow in the Notre Dame Program for Interdisciplinary Education Research. His research primarily explores the intersection of machine learning and psychometrics--how measurement can improve AI and how AI can improve measurement. He is also interested in improving inference for exploratory data analysis by enhancing the data decision making ability of researchers through improved guidelines on exploratory practices, such as in exploratory differential item functioning (DIF) analysis. Austin is also affiliated with the Breakthrough Research on Autism & Inclusive Neurodevelopment (BRAIN) lab, where he focuses on detecting and reducing bias in autism assessment.
For more on Austin's clinical and quantitative research, please see his "What Would You Fight For?" story:
https://giving.nd.edu/what-austin-wyman-23-fights-for/
PUBLICATIONS
Published or In Press
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (In press). Consensus among differential item functioning effect size measures: A simplified approach to reporting effect size. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131644261458305
Yu, Y. Y., Wyman, A., Faulk, C., Fulop, L., Greenberg, R., Benecke, R., Steinbeck, L. K., Foy, J., Kim, C., Emory, G., Fox, E., Storch, E. A., Zampella, C. J., Yerys, B. E., Schultz, R. T., Parish-Morris, J., Herrington, J. D., & Clements, C. C. (In press) The under-identification of autism in females: A review and analysis of sex-based scoring differences observed in Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) Module 3. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07253-z
Yu, Y. Y., Wyman, A., Faulk, C. J., Fulop, L. J., Greenberg, R. L., Benecke, R. M., Steinbeck, L. K., Foy, J., Kim, C., Emory, G. O., Storch, E. A., Zampella, C. J., Yerys, B. E., Schultz, R. T., Parish-Morris, J., Herrington, J. D., & Clements, C. C. (2026). An Examination of Racial Bias in Scoring the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) Module 3: An Item Response Theory Analysis. Autism Research, 19(2), e70155. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.70155
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (2025). Evaluating the Threat of Phantom Faces in Emotion Detection AI through Simulation. Journal of Behavioral Data Science, 5(2), 28-42. https://doi.org/10.35566/jbds/wyman51
Wyman, A. & Zhang, Z. (2025). A Tutorial on the Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools for Facial Emotion Recognition in R. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 60(3), 641-655. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2025.2455497
Wyman, A. & Zhang, Z. (2023). API Face Value: Evaluating the Current Status and Potential of Emotion Detection Software in Emotional Deficit Interventions. Journal of Behavioral Data Science, 3(1), 59-69. https://doi.org/10.35566/jbds/v3n1/wyman
Under Review
Wyman, A., Yu, Y. Y., Li, C., Fox, E. T., Zhang, Z., & Clements, C. C. (under review). Sex Bias in a Gold-Standard Autism Assessment: An Analysis of 19,569 Children and Adults. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/wsbqu_v1
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (under review). Naturalistic Emotion Regulation Detection: A Novel Framework for Extracting Features from Emotion Detection AI Data.
In Preparation
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (in prep). Quantile-Based Cutoff Values for DIF Effect Size Measures: The Rosetta Stone for DIF Interpretation.
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (in prep). Nonnormality, Missing Data, and Small Samples: Challenges and Opportunities for Determining the Number of Factors using Robust SEM Fit Indices.
Preprint
Park, J., Wyman, A., & Beauchaine, T. The Natural Language Processing in Etiology Distinguishing Suicidal Ideation (SI) and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) on Social Media. PsyArXiv [Preprint]. 2023 November 28. Available from: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/b89js
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Invited talks
Yue, D., Landin, Z., Szew, S., Raasio, M., Ang, A., Rohatgi, R., Manlapid, M., Harris, A., Shi, T., & Wyman, A. (2023, October 28-29). Co-Creating an Environment for Youth Mental Health to Thrive. Presented at the 2023 Stopping The Stigma Summit to Address Mental Health for Children, Youth & Families, New York City, NY.
Oral presentations
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (2026, July 21-24). Nonnormality, Missing Data, and Small Samples: Challenges and Opportunities for Determining the Number of Factors using Robust SEM Fit Indices. To be presented at the 2026 annual International Meeting of the Psychometric Society, Seoul, South Korea.
Li, C., Wyman, A., Zhang, Z., Clements, C. (2026, April 20-26). Temporal Trends in ADOS Diagnostic Classifications over Two Decades. Presented at the 2026 International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Prague, Czechia.
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (2025, July 11-14). Emotion detection AI deceived by two-faced images. Presented at the 2025 annual meeting of the International Society for Data Science and Analytics, Washington, D.C.
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (2024, July 21-24). How are you really feeling?: A dynamic network approach to detecting nomothetic patterns of emotion regulation ability. Presented at the 2024 annual meeting of the International Society for Data Science and Analytics, Vienna, Austria.
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (2024, May 23-26). Estimating Emotions: Comparing Cross-Sectional, Repeated-Measure, and Emotion Recognition API Approaches. Presented at the 2024 annual convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
Poster presentations
Nguyen, D., Simard, E., Waddell, S., Li, C., Wyman, A., Fox, E., Clements, C.C (2026, April 30). Examining Race- and Sex-Based Biases in Autism Assessments of Youth 5-19 years. Presented at the 2026 Youth Mental Health Summit, South Bend, IN.
Wyman, A., Yu, Y., Li, C., Zhang, Z., & Clements, C. (2026, April 20- 26). Sex Bias in the ADOS: A Multi-Module Comparison of Differential Item Functioning Among 23,000 Participants from NDAR, SSC, SPARK, and AIC. Presented at the 2026 International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Prague, Czechia.
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (2026, April 8-11). Consensus Among DIF Effect Size Measures in Dichotomous Item Response Theory Models. Presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education, Los Angeles, CA.
Wyman, A., Yu, Y., Zhang, Z., Herrington, J., Yerys, B., & Clements, C. (2025, April 30-May 3). Racial Bias in the ADOS: Comparison of Differential Item Functioning and Moderated Nonlinear Factor Analysis Among More Than 4,000 Participants from NDAR and SSC. Presented at the 2025 International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (2025, April 22-26). Simulation-based Power Analysis for DIF/DTF in IRT Graded Response Models. Presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education, Denver, CO.
Wyman, A., & Zhang, Z. (2024, May 23-26). Estimating Emotions: Comparing Cross-Sectional, Repeated-Measure, and Emotion Recognition API Approaches. Presented at the 2024 annual convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
Wyman, A., Scott-Bacon, C. (2023, May 25-28). AI in the Courtroom: Developing a Juror Decision Making Model with Topic Modeling and Cross Validation . Presented at the 2023 annual convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Washington DC.
EXTERNAL FUNDING
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP)
PI: Austin Wyman
Project: Initial Development of a Police Misconduct Scale Using Text Mining and IRT
Funding: $139,000 from July 2023 – June 2026
INTERNAL FUNDING
Lucy Institute for Data and Society – Graduate Scholars Program
PI: Austin Wyman
Funding: $3,000 from July 2025 to June 2027
Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts (ISLA) – Technology and the Common Good Grant
PI: Austin Wyman
Project: Stronger Approach to Validity for Emotion Regulation
Funding: $4,354.55
Program for Interdisciplinary Education Research – Burns Fellowship
PI: Austin Wyman
Funding: $30,000.00 from August 2023 to May 2028
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
February 2026 International Society for Autism Research, Diversity Travel Award.
July 2025 International Society for Data Science and Analytics 2025 Annual Meeting, Best Paper Award.
May 2025 International Society for Autism Research, Top-Rated Abstract Award.
February 2025 International Society for Autism Research, Diversity Travel Award.
October 2025 Center for Measurement Justice, Conference Travel Scholarship.
TEACHING & MENTORSHIP EXPERIENCE
Spring 2026 - Present Instructor of Record, Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame –
Quantitative Studies Group
Spring 2026 Graduate Mentor, Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, University of Notre Dame –
The Health Data & Analytics Challenge
Fall 2025 Guest Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame –
“Psychological Assessment I”
Fall 2024 Guest Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame –
“Psychological Assessment I”
Fall 2024 Teaching Assistant, Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame –
“R for Data Science”
Fall 2024 Graduate Mentor, Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, University of Notre Dame –
“The Health Equity Data Science Challenge”
Fall 2024 – Spring 2025 Undergraduate Thesis Supervisor, Department of Neuroscience & Behavior, University of Notre Dame.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
2025-present Member, INSAR Mentoring Preconference Planning Committee.
2025-present Member, INSAR Autistic Researcher Committee.
2023–present Advisor, Mental Health Literacy Collaborative.
2025-present, Reviewer, Psychological Methods.
2025-present Reviewer, Journal of Behavioral Data Science.
2026-2026 Facilitator, INSAR Institute.
2024–2024 Facilitator, International Society for Data Science and Analytics Annual Meeting.
2023–2024 Reviewer, Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention.
2023–2024 Advisor, National Alliance for Mental Illness.