Eric Hekler

Dr. Eric Hekler is a Professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health & Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego. His work integrates health psychology, design, systems science, and public health to advance equitable solutions for societal and planetary health. He holds active NIH funding as a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator, including NIH R01 grants. His research focuses on precision health, digital health interventions, and behavior change, leveraging control systems engineering and agile methodologies.

Education: B.A. Psychology (University at Albany, 1998), M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology (Rutgers University, 2004/2008), Postdoctoral Fellowship in Preventive Medicine at Stanford University (2011).

Research Interests: Precision health, human-centered design, community-powered design, systems science, health equity, climate change impacts on health, and digital health innovation. His work emphasizes transdisciplinary approaches to address complex health behaviors and systems.

Key Projects: 'Optimizing Individualized mHealth Interventions via Control Systems Engineering' (NIH R01CA244777, PI), 'HeartSteps' (adaptive physical activity intervention), and 'SMART 2.0' (weight reduction trial). He co-leads the Agile Science Design Lab, advancing iterative and participatory research methods.

Grants & Funding: NIH R01, T32, and U01 grants totaling over $10M, focusing on behavioral interventions, data analytics, and health systems. Collaborations include interdisciplinary teams in engineering, computer science, and public health.

Labs/Teams: Co-director of the Agile Science Design Lab at UCSD, fostering transdisciplinary innovation in health science methods and digital tools.