Eduardo Andrade
Eduardo and I met at a summer program at the Center for Advanced Study at Stanford University. It was a magical summer both academically and socially. Eduardo had an office next to mine, and we got to go for walks in the hills and chat. Eduardo’s main research focus is emotions, and by the end of the summer we had a few ideas related to decision making and emotions that we started working on. Eduardo is Brazilian, and his ability to cook meat and make drinks would make his country proud. Eduardo is currently a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
Racheli Barkan
Racheli (Rachel more officially) and I became friends many years ago, when we were both graduate students. Over the years we talked about starting various research projects together, but we only really got started when she came to spend a year at Duke. As it turns out, coffee is an important ingredient for translating ideas into actions, and we had lots of fun during her visit and made a lot of progress on a wide range of projects. Racheli is incredibly knowledgeable, smart, and insightful, and I only wish we had more time together. Racheli is currently a professor at Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
Zoë Chance
Zoë is a force of creativity and kindness. Talking to her is a bit like being in an amusement park—you know it is going to be exciting and interesting, but it is hard to anticipate what direction her comments will take. Together with her love of life and mankind, she is the ideal blend of researcher and friend. Zoë is currently a PhD student at Harvard.
Hanan Frenk
When I was an undergraduate, I took Hanan’s brain physiology class. It was one of my first classes, and it changed my life. Beyond the material in the class, it was Hanan’s attitude toward research and openness to questions that inspired me to become a researcher myself. I still remember many of his perspectives on research and life, and I continue to live by most of them. For me, Hanan is the ideal teacher. Hanan is currently a professor at Tel Aviv University in Israel.
Jeana Frost
Jeana was one of my first graduate students at the Media Lab at MIT. She is creative and eclectic, with a wide range of interests and skills that she seems to pull from thin air. We started many projects together on information systems, online dating, and decision aids, and during this process I learned how designers think, experiment, and discover. Jeana is currently an Internet entrepreneur at large.
Ayelet Gneezy
I met Ayelet many years ago at a picnic organized by mutual friends. I had a very positive first impression of her, and my appreciation of her only increased with time. Ayelet is a wonderful person and a great friend, so it is a bit odd that the topics we decided to collaborate on were mistrust and revenge. Whatever initially drove us to explore these topics ended up being very useful both academically and personally. Ayelet is currently a professor at the University of California, San Diego. (If you happen upon another Gneezy on my list of collaborators, this is not because it is a popular last name.)
Uri Gneezy
Uri is one of the most sarcastic and creative people I have ever met. Both of these skills enable him to turn out important and useful research effortlessly and rapidly. A few years ago, I took Uri to Burning Man, and while we were there he completely fit into the atmosphere. On the way back he lost a bet and, as a consequence, was supposed to give a gift to a random person every day for a month. Sadly, once back in civilization he was unable to do so. Uri is currently a professor at the University of California, San Diego.
Emir Kamenica
I met Emir through Dražen and soon came to appreciate his range of skills and depth of economic thinking. Talking to Emir always gave me the feeling of what discussions between European philosophers in the eighteenth century must have been like—there is no hurry, and the debate is largely for its own sake. A sort of purity in discussion. I suspect that now that he is no longer a graduate student, life has changed for him a bit, but I still cherish those discussions. Emir is currently a professor at the University of Chicago.
Leonard Lee
Leonard joined the PhD program at MIT to work on topics related to e-commerce. Since we both worked long hours, we started taking breaks together late at night, and this gave us a chance to work jointly on a few research projects. The collaboration with Leonard has been great. He has endless energy and enthusiasm, and the number of experiments he can carry out during an average week is about what other people do in a semester. In addition, he is one of the nicest people I have ever met and always a delight to chat and work with. Leonard is currently a professor at Columbia University.
George Loewenstein
George is one of my first, favorite, and longest-time collaborators. He is also my role model. In my mind George is the most creative and broadest researcher in behavioral economics. He has an incredible ability to observe the world around him and find nuances of behavior that are important for our understanding of human nature as well as for policy. George is currently, and appropriately, the Herbert A. Simon Professor of Economics and Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.
Nina Mazar
Nina came to MIT for a few days to get feedback on her research and ended up staying for five years. During that time we had oodles of fun working together, and I came to rely on her greatly. Nina is oblivious to obstacles, and her willingness to take on large challenges led us to carry out some particularly difficult experiments in rural India. For many years I hoped that she would never decide to leave; but, alas, at some point the time came: she is currently a professor at the University of Toronto. In an alternative reality, Nina is a high-fashion designer in Milan, Italy.
Daniel Mochon
Daniel is a rare combination of intelligence, creativity, and the ability to get things done. Over the last few years we have worked on a few different projects, and his insight and ability continue to amaze me. One thing I regret is that I moved just as he was finishing his course work at MIT, and I wish we’d had more opportunities to talk and collaborate. Daniel is currently a postdoc at Yale University.
Mike Norton
Mike has an interesting mix of brilliance, self-deprecation, and a sarcastic sense of humor. He has a unique perspective on life, and he finds almost any topic interesting. I often think about research projects as journeys, and with Mike I get to go on adventures that would have been impossible with anyone else. Mike is also a fantastic singer, and if you get the chance, ask him for his version of Elvis’s “Only Fools Rush In.” Mike is currently a professor at Harvard.
Dražen Prelec
Dražen is one of the smartest people I have ever met and one of the main reasons I joined MIT. I think of Dražen as academic royalty: he knows what he is doing, he is sure of himself, and everything he touches turns to gold. I was hoping that by osmosis, I would get some of his style and depth, but having my office next to his was not sufficient for this. Dražen is currently a professor at MIT.
Stephen Spiller
Stephen started his academic career as a student of John Lynch. John was my PhD adviser as well. So in essence Stephen and I are academic relatives, and I feel as if he is my younger (but much taller) brother. He is smart and creative, and it has been a privilege to watch him advance in his academic adventures. Stephen is currently a doctoral student at Duke University, and if his advisers had any say in the matter, we would never let him leave.