Eugen Dimant

Eugen Dimant is an Associate Professor of Practice in Behavioral and Decision Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts and Sciences and a Visiting Professor at Stanford University. He holds fellowships at Penn's Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics and Behavioral and Decision Sciences Program, collaborates with Wharton's Behavior Change for Good Initiative (BCFG), and is a CESifo Network Fellow. From 2022-2023, he contributed to the White House Behavioral Science Team (OES) on opioid epidemic interventions.

His academic credentials include:

• PhD in Economics, University of Paderborn, 2016

Dimant's research centers on experimental behavioral economics, examining how social norms and nudges shape ethical decisions and behavior change. His work reveals how polarization erodes cooperation (Hate Trumps Love) and how norm perceptions influence punishment (Nudging Enforcers). A refugee from Moldova, he also investigates migration drivers through the lens of corruption and terrorism, blending personal experience with academic rigor.

His 13 recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate growing focus on large-scale real-world applications, including a 3-million-student math education megastudy and pandemic policy synthesis. Methodologically, he bridges experimental economics with policy design, frequently employing field experiments and meta-analyses.

His scientific recognition includes:

• Heinz Sauermann Award (GfeW, 2015)
• Best Experimental Dissertation Award (GfeW, 2015/2016)

Dimant leads high-impact grant projects including White House opioid RCTs and NSF-funded polarization research. His megastudy with Duckworth and Milkman exemplifies his focus on scalable behavioral interventions, while his migration work integrates economics with geopolitical analysis.

He directs Penn's Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics research and co-organizes the 2025 MIT Workshop on Polarization, Social Norms, and Trust, positioning him at the forefront of norm dynamics research in polarized societies.