Rastislav Rehák

Rastislav Rehák is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cologne, working under Axel Ockenfels. He holds a PhD from CERGE-EI in Prague supervised by Filip Matějka, with research bridging theoretical and experimental approaches to economic behavior.

His core expertise lies in information economics and behavioral economics, where he develops theoretical frameworks and conducts controlled experiments. He actively extends this work into cognitive science (e.g., decision confidence mechanisms), environmental economics (focusing on psychological drivers of climate action), and applied stochastic analysis. This interdisciplinary focus enables novel insights into how social and psychological factors shape economic decisions beyond rational actor models.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a trajectory unifying microeconomic theory with cognitive neuroscience and social psychology. Key themes include optimizing information acquisition in decisions, exposing discrimination in hiring communications, understanding inefficiencies in voluntary climate mitigation, and advancing Bayesian persuasion models. His neuroimaging collaboration demonstrates methodological innovation by adapting normative population models to track individual brain changes.

Rehák operates within the Max Planck Institute's collaborative ecosystem, frequently partnering with Melisa Kurtis, Sona Badalyan, Darya Korlyakova, and Maxim Senkov. His work in Axel Ockenfels' research group leverages institutional resources for experimental economics while maintaining strong ties to the University of Cologne's academic infrastructure.