Mentor Areas
I work on microeconomic theory and behavioral economics, with a focus on the theme of learning and information. In microeconomic theory, I have written papers on learning in social networks, misspecified Bayesian learning, and learning in games. In behavioral economics, I have worked on theoretical and experimental projects that study learning under certain statistical biases. I have also looked at the question of optimally designing information disclosure under psychological considerations.
Description:
When people choose between rival consumer products, stay up-to-date with current events, or pick a side in a scientific debate, their choices / beliefs / stances are influenced by their observations of how their social neighbors act. These social neighbors include friends and family with whom people interact on a face-to-face basis, but also increasingly involve complete strangers in an age when social media platforms like Twitter expand our observation networks. Such platforms are part of a larger development in communication technology that lets us learn from one another with unprecedented ease.
How do people use social information to learn about the world? What kinds of social networks aggregate dispersed information efficiently? Whose actions or opinions are most influential for the final community consensus? These are some of the important research questions in social learning.
Projects will vary, and they may be especially suitable for students interested in the intersection between computer science and economics. Interested students should contact me to discuss possibilities.
Preferred Qualifications
Students should have a strong mathematical background and must be comfortable with programming.
Project Website
Learn more about the researcher and/or the project here.
https://kevinhe.net/(link is external)
Details:
Preferred Student Year
Second-Year, Junior, Senior
Academic Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.