Rustamdjan Hakimov

Rustamdjan Hakimov serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Lausanne since August 2022. His research bridges theoretical market design with empirical validation through behavioral and experimental economics, focusing on matching mechanisms in education and labor markets.

His academic credentials include:

• Doctor of Economic Science, Technical University Berlin (2016; Dissertation: Three essays on behavioral market design; Summa cum laude)
• M.Sc. in Economics and Management Science, Humboldt University Berlin (2010)
• Diploma in Mathematical Methods and Operations Research, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University (2007)

Professor Hakimov's work centers on understanding strategic behavior in matching systems through controlled experiments. He examines how market participants respond to institutional rules in school choice, college admissions, and appointment systems. His research demonstrates how seemingly minor design features—such as transparency mechanisms or information structures—significantly impact market outcomes, fairness, and efficiency. By combining game-theoretic modeling with experimental validation, he develops practical solutions for real-world allocation problems.

His publication portfolio reveals consistent output in top-tier journals since 2015, with accelerating productivity after 2018. The research spans theoretical market design (e.g., iterative deferred acceptance mechanisms), behavioral investigations (e.g., self-confidence effects in matching), and field applications (e.g., charitable giving experiments in Kyrgyzstan). Recent work increasingly addresses contemporary challenges like algorithmic hiring systems and privacy concerns in personalized pricing.