Sonrisa Watts is an independent human-AI researcher, systems analyst, and the founder of Emotion Encoded, an independent research initiative she started in St. Kitts and Nevis. Centered on the integration of artificial intelligence in high-stakes fields, her work investigates how cognitive bias, human-Artificial Intelligence psychological theories, institutional structures, resource constraints, and cognitive friction impact specialized knowledge work across medicine, law, and finance..

Born and raised on the twin-island nation—a community of just 48,000 people—Sonrisa built Emotion Encoded entirely from the ground up. With no institutional backing, no prior mentors, and no traditional network, she relied on little more than a laptop, relentless grit, and a clear vision.

At age 24, she founded Emotion Encoded as an independent research initiative investigating the cognitive barriers to Artificial Intelligence adoption in high-stakes industries.

Operating completely autonomously, she executed extensive mixed-methods studies and conducted professional interviews across a diverse and elite cohort, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, oncologists, radiologists, cardiologists, founders of telehealth and behavioral science startups, physicians in internal medicine, attorneys-at-law, a biomedical engineering professor of Johns Hopkins University, and psychologists. Eight months later, her proprietary cross-sector datasets captured global attention.

Looking ahead, she is expanding her quantitative repertoire across Python, data analysis, and machine learning for computational research. As part of her long-term academic roadmap, she is actively building deep technical fluency across machine learning, Python, and computer science. By rigorously strengthening her foundation in advanced mathematics—alongside data analysis libraries like pandas, matplotlib, and seaborn—she is systematically mastering these domains to drive her research forward. As an independent researcher, she is continuously expanding her technical toolkit, exploring advanced machine learning workflows, and building rigorous, multi-disciplinary systems. She admits she has a lot to learn in those areas, but that's all a part of it! She also plans to challenge herself to the absolute limit by formally studying physics—exploring the fundamental mechanics of the universe—alongside a deep engagement with anthropology.

Courses taking and planning to take: