Main Focus

  • Applied behavioural science, behavioural economics

  • Ethical decision making, including the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • The psychology of honesty, charitable giving, corruption, deliberate ignorance

  • Understanding the effects of experimenter usage of deception

  • Field experiments in government, business, fund-raising, development, etc.

  • Serious games (e.g. my-goodness.net)

Curriculum Vitae

  • 2022: PhD (Psychology), Humboldt University
  • 2019- : Research Scientist, Adaptive Rationality, MPIB
  • 2017-2019: Visiting Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School
  • 2015-2018: Research Associate, London School of Economics
  • 2014-2016: M.Sc (Behavioural Science), London School of Economics and Political Science
  • 2008-2015: Senior Manager - Economic Research, Policy Unit, Dubai Financial Services Authority (regulator of the Dubai International Financial Centre)
  • 2006-2008: Senior Manager - Economic Research, Emirates NBD (large Middle Eastern bank)
  • 2005-2006: Economic Researcher, Dubai Government Department of Economic Development
  • 2004: Economist, Treasury Corporation of Victoria
  • 2002-2004: Senior Analyst, Reserve Bank of Australia
  • 2001: B.Comm (Degree with Honours in Economics), University of Melbourne

Selected Publications

  • Rahwan, Z. and Leuker, C. (2023). When should tainted money should fund public goods: Fundraising professional and public moral preferences. PNAS Nexus, 2(9), Article pgad285. doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad285
  • Rahwan, Z., Fasolo, B., & Hauser, O. P. (2022). Deception about study purpose does not affect participant behavior. Scientific Reports12(1), 1-7. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21972-0
  • Rahwan, Z., Yoeli, E., & Fasolo, B. (2019). Heterogeneity in banker culture and its influence on dishonesty. Nature, 575(7782), 345-349. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1741-y
    Full text
  • Rahwan, Z., Hauser, O. P., Kochanowska, E., & Fasolo, B. (2018). High stakes: A little more cheating, a lot less charity. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 152, 276–295. doi: 10.1016/j.jebo.2018.04.021
    Full text

Research Tools Developed

  • mygoodness
    A site for researching obstacles to 'effective altruism'.

  • deep empathy
    A site for used for building on a range of experiments regarding whether AI-generated images of disasters in local areas can evoke empathy for actual victims of disasters in far away places.

Go to Editor View