Hello, I'm Dheer Avashia

The rise of AI-generated overviews is transforming how consumers interact with information in digital markets. These overviews, powered by the development of large language models (LLMs), condense vast volumes of information into accessible narratives, potentially mitigating the effects of information overload and providing better insights into product characteristics. In this research, I focus on AI overviews of product reviews on e-commerce platforms and investigate whether they influence consumer purchasing decisions by affecting product-level sales and pricing. Leveraging variation in the adoption of these overviews across the two largest e-commerce platforms in India- Amazon and Flipkart- I apply a difference-in-differences framework, with three-way fixed effects, to isolate the effect of AI summaries. I aim to provide new, and among one of the first, to my knowledge, evidence on the role of algorithmic information processing and presentation of consumer reviews in shaping consumer behavior, market outcomes, and platform competition in digital markets.

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Empirical evidence for the availability heuristic causing an erroneous meta-cognitive judgment of one's objective financial knowledge. The reasons for disparities in financial knowledge are often explored through the lens of policy action and education. However, in this research, we study the role of cognitive bias in financial knowledge to explain disparities in perceived and Actual Financial Knowledge. We propose a model of overconfidence and then attempt to estimate how variance in levels of overconfidence can be explained specifically through the lens of exposures to financial shocks. Our analysis finds gender and educational differences in levels of financial overconfidence and finds empirical evidence that higher exposure to negative financial shocks predicts lower levels of overconfidence.

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• Examined and synthesized theories of Algorithmic Information Theory. Understood functions and mechanisms of Turing Machines. Understood fundamental information theory concepts of Probability, Entropy, and Complexity
• Researched Huffman's Encoding Problem, analyzed proofs of optimal lossless encoding, theories of fundamental binary data encoding, and studied Huffman trees
• Used Beamer (LaTeX) to present a talk on the Huffman Encoding problem, emphasizing the significance and importance of Huffman's algorithm on modern-day information encoding

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• Funded to conduct a literature review of over 8 laboratory research papers studying price bubbles and crashes in spot asset markets. Learned how to survey, analyze, condense, and present research findings
• Wrote a survey paper in conjunction with a laboratory experiment proposal, under the guidance of a faculty member, suggesting how researchers could study bubbles and crashes in crypto-currency markets
• Learnt how to read and analyze existing research effectively

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• Adopted Qualtrics to collect qualitative and quantitative primary-source data about eating disorders, social media usage, and imaginary audience using 5 psychological inventories
• Employed SPSS to generate interaction terms and perform robust regressions, f-tests, and chi-squared tests for 200 data points, modeling a function predicting the prevalence of eating disorders as a function of social media usage
• Authored a research paper, and presented insights at a local research conference

Paper

• Researched business models and digital strategies of firms catering to the Indian rural market.
• Conceptualized and implemented, alongside the CEO, the marketing strategy for promoting the company's new mobile application, reaching over 2000 potential clients
• Created KPI metrics, alongside CEO and UX designers, for a pilot study helping measure user accessibility and retention for the company's new mobile application, which now has over 5000 users
• Researched and presented a comprehensive report on rural marketing. Worked with digital marketing head to run ad campaigns (Google ads, IVR, on-ground marketing) increasing users by 20%

• Analyzed business-to-business models and growth strategy of 10 major companies in the online learning industry. Generated user profiles and identified key trends in the executive learning industry and presented insights to CEO
• Built several user profiles and led presentations on ideas for optimizing the company's product
• Authored, edited, and published over 5 articles for on and off-page blogging
• Ran ads and performed SEO optimizing, alongside the Digital marketing team, boosting social media followers by 30%

• Assisted the director of Greek Life in everyday tasks
• Created forms and surveys to gather data about Greek life organizations on campus, used Excel to format and present data to the head of Greek life
• Planned a hazing prevention marketing campaign to create awareness about hazing and provide resources
• Making the Greek Life culture on campus safer and more welcoming

• Designed and implemented over 15 programs to foster relationships and make residents feel safe and comfortable in residential spaces
• Applied QPR training and restorative techniques to help extinguish sensitive situations and resolve conflicts
• Acted as a student leader and role model for over 200 residents cultivating living spaces with a strong sense of community
• One of the most esteemed leadership positions on campus
• Supervised residence halls with 150+ students, responded to emergencies, and reported to area manager.

• Researched student taboos surrounding mental health, evaluated data to devise a social media marketing plan and content calendar, increased student interaction and awareness by over 30%
• Collaborated with the director of the Wellness Center and student leaders on campus to plan and implement 11 events promoting mental health awareness