Jiaying Zhao

Jiaying Zhao is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), holding dual appointments in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES). She is Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Behavioral Sustainability and a UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar. Her work bridges cognitive science and sustainability, focusing on how psychological principles can address financial and environmental challenges. She leads the Behavioral Sustainability Lab, investigating resource scarcity, environmental behavior, and cognitive biases in climate action.

Education: PhD in Cognitive Science from Princeton University (2013). Affiliated with the Stone Centre on Wealth and Income Inequality (UBC), Center for Effective Global Action (UC Berkeley), and J-PAL North America (MIT).

Research Interests
- Resource Scarcity: Examines cognitive consequences of poverty and interventions to improve decision-making (e.g., unconditional cash transfers reducing homelessness).
- Environmental Behavior: Designs nudges to promote recycling, energy conservation, and biodiversity protection through real-time feedback and messaging.
- Environmental Cognition: Studies how perception of carbon footprints and climate evidence shapes public engagement and policy acceptance.
- Statistical Cognition: Explores how regularities in data influence attention and learning.

Awards & Recognition

• UBC Killam Research Prize (2020)
• Canada Research Chair (Tier 2, Behavioral Sustainability)
• UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar

Lab & Collaborations
Her Behavioral Sustainability Lab collaborates globally on projects like the New Leaf Project (cash transfers for homelessness) and Happy Climate Workshop (combining carbon reduction with well-being). Active in policy engagement, she advises UNESCO’s Inclusive Policy Lab and Canada’s Financial Literacy Research Sub-Committee.