diff --git a/src/daft-plan/src/logical_ops/project.rs b/src/daft-plan/src/logical_ops/project.rs
index 8e69146ea9..bb9c754dbc 100644
--- a/src/daft-plan/src/logical_ops/project.rs
+++ b/src/daft-plan/src/logical_ops/project.rs
@@ -603,7 +603,8 @@ mod tests {
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    /// Test that common leaf expressions are not factored out.
+    /// Test that common leaf expressions are not factored out
+    /// (since this would not save computation and only introduces another materialization)
     /// e.g.
     /// 3 as x, 3 as y, a as w, a as z
     /// ->
diff --git a/src/daft-plan/src/optimization/rules/push_down_projection.rs b/src/daft-plan/src/optimization/rules/push_down_projection.rs
index 78b55655e7..a4259e0c76 100644
--- a/src/daft-plan/src/optimization/rules/push_down_projection.rs
+++ b/src/daft-plan/src/optimization/rules/push_down_projection.rs
@@ -488,3 +488,63 @@ impl OptimizerRule for PushDownProjection {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use std::sync::Arc;
+
+    use common_error::DaftResult;
+    use daft_core::{datatypes::Field, DataType};
+    use daft_dsl::{binary_op, col, lit, Operator};
+
+    use crate::{
+        logical_ops::Project,
+        optimization::{
+            optimizer::{RuleBatch, RuleExecutionStrategy},
+            rules::PushDownProjection,
+            Optimizer,
+        },
+        test::dummy_scan_node,
+        JoinType, LogicalPlan, PartitionScheme,
+    };
+
+    /// Helper that creates an optimizer with the PushDownFilter rule registered, optimizes
+    /// the provided plan with said optimizer, and compares the optimized plan's repr with
+    /// the provided expected repr.
+    fn assert_optimized_plan_eq(plan: Arc<LogicalPlan>, expected: &str) -> DaftResult<()> {
+        let optimizer = Optimizer::with_rule_batches(
+            vec![RuleBatch::new(
+                vec![Box::new(PushDownProjection::new())],
+                RuleExecutionStrategy::Once,
+            )],
+            Default::default(),
+        );
+        let optimized_plan = optimizer
+            .optimize_with_rules(
+                optimizer.rule_batches[0].rules.as_slice(),
+                plan.clone(),
+                &optimizer.rule_batches[0].order,
+            )?
+            .unwrap()
+            .clone();
+        assert_eq!(optimized_plan.repr_indent(), expected);
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Projection merging: Ensure factored projections do not get merged.
+    #[test]
+    fn test_merge_does_not_unfactor() -> DaftResult<()> {
+        let a2 = binary_op(Operator::Plus, &col("a"), &col("a"));
+        let a4 = binary_op(Operator::Plus, &a2, &a2);
+        let a8 = binary_op(Operator::Plus, &a4, &a4);
+        let expressions = vec![a8.alias("x")];
+        let unoptimized = dummy_scan_node(vec![Field::new("a", DataType::Int64)])
+            .project(expressions, Default::default())?
+            .build();
+
+        let expected = unoptimized.repr_indent();
+        assert_optimized_plan_eq(unoptimized, expected.as_str())?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+}