Behavioral Science

I am a behavioral scientist and marketing professor who specializes in nonconscious drivers of human motivation. I have been listed by the American Marketing Association as one of the top 20 most productive marketing scholars in the world and have published in the areas of consumer behavior, food consumption and self-control, social psychology, and management science. My research focuses on how to make consumers motivated to pursue their goals associated with health, spending, and productivity.

My work has been cited over 3000 times, and my research has appeared in articles in the New York Times, NPR, Forbes, Time Magazine, NBC News, ScienceDaily, Runner’s World, HuffPost, and others.

My research applies behavioral science to the understanding of how a person’s digital and physical environment can influence their motivation without their awareness. Typical interventions involve understanding which stimuli people are exposed to in their daily lives and how these stimuli influence their decisions and behaviors without their awareness. This is followed by a prescription of how these stimuli can be modified to encourage desirable behaviors.

I also work as an expert witness in cases involving consumers’ likelihood of confusion, sales practices, and manipulation of online information about brands. I also speak as an expert on consumer behavior changes in times of crisis, retailing, and international marketing.

As a behavioral science consultant, some current and former clients include MARS, Valvoline, SC Johnson, Kroger, Colgate, and Intel. My commercial work focuses on understanding the customer journey and the main points along this journey where there are nonconscious influences on a consumer’s decisions and behaviors. I also develop strategies to increase digital engagement, perform analysis of communication campaigns, build nudges to help consumers make better (healthier, more efficient) choices, and help companies understand how consumer identities (i.e., who consumers think they are and want to be) influence their purchasing behavior.