Associate Professor of Practice in Behavioral and Decision Sciences
Dr. Eugen Dimant is an Associate Professor of Practice in Behavioral and Decision Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a fellow in both the Behavioral and Decision Sciences Program and the Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania, a collaborator at the Behavior Change for Good Initiative (BCFG) at Wharton, and a Network Fellow at CESifo. From 2022 to 2023, he was also part of the former White House Behavioral Science Team (now OES) and worked on high-impact RCTs related to the opioid epidemic.
Dr. Dimant works primarily in the field of experimental behavioral economics, particularly focusing on behavioral ethics and behavior change. His recent research explores how social norms and nudges can influence our self-serving beliefs and actions. He also examines how these factors can promote pro-social and anti-social behavior in different contexts, both individually and collectively, and how societal polarization is exacerbated.
Another area that Dr. Dimant actively explores relates to the interplay between corruption, terrorism, and migration. He is dedicated to better understanding the reasons people choose or are forced to migrate, and the resulting effects of these movements. His interest in these subjects is not purely academic; it is also deeply personal. Having emigrated from Moldova as a refugee following the collapse of the Soviet Union, this firsthand experience has created a long-lasting imprint.