Michael Hayden II

When Michael Hayden II (Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences ’19) was completing his undergraduate degrees in psychology and studio art, he knew he wanted to apply psychology in a professional setting and began researching graduate programs that married psychology and business perspectives. When he encountered the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences (MBDS) at Penn in its inaugural year, Michael saw the new program as an opportunity to dive into an emerging discipline. “At the time, behavioral science was a burgeoning field, but when you’re going to graduate school, you want to understand exactly what that is going to entail. I wanted to make sure that the program was established, and that it was going to help me continue to advance my interests,” he explains. “Penn is a tremendous institution, and it helped to know that they would be continually updating and improving the program every year based on student feedback and industry needs.”

Michael joined the MBDS program in its second cohort and quickly identified an interest in marketing and market research—through his own wide-ranging reading of behavioral science research, as well as exposure to professional applications delivered by alumni and experts in the field. “The program had professional development sessions and guest speakers, which I really appreciated,” he recalls. “Behavioral science is a newer field, and there are a lot of different directions you can take it, so it helped me to take a look at different career paths in specific terms.” Michael augmented his core curriculum with electives in marketing strategy and technology, data and analysis for marketing decisions, risk analysis, and network analysis from the Wharton School and the School of Arts and Sciences. “What attracted me to the program was the interdisciplinary aspect, and knowing that we could take electives based on our personal interests outside of the core courses,” he says. “That felt like a really great way to not only tie in the psychology aspect that I was interested in, but also other skill sets that can complement it.”

For his capstone project in 2019, Michael analyzed the heuristics modeling used by Newristics, a company that applies behavioral science and machine learning to test marketing messages and make them more persuasive, and continued to work with them for the next two years. In 2021, Michael joined ZS Associates, a management consulting firm, as part of its Applied Behavioral Insights team. "I wanted to broaden the type of work I was doing in life sciences, and ZS is a leading firm in the space," he says.

Over time, Michael deliberately expanded beyond behavioral science as a specialty. "I felt I could apply behavioral science more meaningfully by going deeper with specific clients," he explains. Today, as an advisory consultant in commercial strategy for life sciences, he works on launch planning and strategy, helping companies prepare to bring new therapies to market. That work spans understanding the landscape a product is entering, identifying the patients and providers it will serve, and shaping how it is positioned, often years before it reaches the people who need it.

Behavioral science is still a common theme in his work. "It's ubiquitous," he says. "Most often it shows up in understanding patient and provider behavior, but it's been just as useful for things like internal change management." He credits the program's grounding in statistics, research design, and problem-solving frameworks for that versatility. "That foundation turned out to be incredibly flexible. You can apply it almost anywhere."

His advice for current students is to continuously educate themselves on advancements and applications of AI. Right now, he notes, industry is something of a wild west: companies recognize the importance of new AI technology and the opportunities it presents, but with innovation moving this fast, few have figured out how best to put it to use. "Technology is evolving so quickly, and new capabilities can push the boundaries of what behavioral science can do," he says. That uncertainty is exactly where students can stand out. "Figuring out how AI can elevate work is a real way to differentiate yourself and increase the impact of your work."

"The program is going to fly by. If you don't have an objective when you start, that's okay, but you should have a good understanding of potential paths after the program, and the classes you can take that will get you there."