79th Tobacco Science Research Conference

September 20-23, 2026Sheraton Charlotte HotelCharlotte, North Carolina, USA

Jessica Zdinak

Dr. Jessica Zdinak is Founder and Chief Research Officer at Applied Research and Analysis Company, a leading U.S. based clinical and behavioral science research organization. She received a Master of Science in Experimental Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology & Statistics. She has dedicated two decades to working as a behavioral scientist in a variety of settings, including academic, federal government, public health, and various industries.   Dr. Zdinak now devotes her time leading an expert team of research scientists and healthcare providers, whose focused efforts help to solve some of the world's most complex business, research, regulatory, and public health issues. She has spent several years growing a team as passionate about their work as she is - with their partnerships beginning at the earliest stages of product development and innovation and lasting through to Post-Market Surveillance and product enhancements. She received Cultural Competency training while working in the federal government sector, and she now leads a team trained in this method, conducting consumer research with diverse populations around the world. Her acute understanding of the U.S. regulatory pathway has proven successful across MRTP and PMT product authorizations, now leading the ARAC team in a variety of research methods and focus areas, including early-market consumer research, product development and innovation, label and claim development and comprehension, human factors/usability testing, sensory panel testing, actual use studies, TPPI, population modeling, and post-market surveillance systems. Zdinak’s goal is to improve people’s lives, whether that is one smoker at a time, or through the relationships she builds with colleagues, clients, family, and friends.