Charles Sprenger

Charles Sprenger is a Professor of Economics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), affiliated with the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences. He holds a B.A. from Stanford University (2002), an M.Sc. from University College London (2005), and a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego (2011). As Executive Officer for Caltech's HSS division (2022-2025), he oversees academic leadership and interdisciplinary research.

• B.A., Stanford University, 2002
• M.Sc., University College London, 2005
• Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 2011

Professor Sprenger specializes in behavioral and experimental economics, focusing on intertemporal decision-making and choices under uncertainty. His research designs experiments to test deviations from standard economic models, with applications ranging from food consumption to vaccination programs and tax compliance. Key contributions include analyzing dynamic inconsistency, reference-dependent preferences, and the empirical validity of cumulative prospect theory.

His recent publications examine procrastination in tax filing, risk preferences in high-stakes settings, and incentive customization for public health interventions. Awards include the Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2016-2018), and he serves on editorial boards for top journals like the American Economic Review and Journal of the European Economic Association.

• Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2016-2018)

Sprenger is actively involved in Caltech's Ronald and Maxine Linde Institute of Economic and Management Sciences and the Center for Theoretical and Experimental Social Sciences (CTESS). He has co-authored foundational studies on time preferences, risk attitudes, and behavioral interventions in real-world contexts.