Anuj Shah

Anuj Shah is an Associate Professor at Princeton University, jointly appointed in the Department of Psychology and the School of Public and International Affairs. His research bridges cognitive/social psychology with public policy, focusing on poverty, crime, and social conflict through lab and field experiments.

• Education: Ph.D. from Princeton University

Research interests center on cognitive psychology of scarcity, examining how attention and automaticity affect decision-making in poverty and social conflict. Recent work explores policing strategies, resource allocation systems, and behavioral interventions for court attendance and youth development.

Selected publications reveal interdisciplinary trends spanning cognitive science, public policy, and behavioral economics, with methodological emphasis on experimental validation and field implementation.

• Scientific honors: Robert B. Cialdini Prize

As a behavioral scientist, Shah develops interventions that reduce automaticity in social conflicts while mentoring graduate students in psychology and policy analysis. His work combines theoretical exploration with practical applications for criminal justice reform and poverty alleviation.