Sebastian Riedmiller

Sebastian Riedmiller is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods in Bonn. He earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Cologne in 2025 and previously held visiting positions at Stanford University (2024) and University of Trento (2019). His work bridges behavioral economics with policy design to address real-world behavioral barriers.

• Education:
  • B.Sc. in Economics (2014–2017), University of Münster
  • M.Sc. in Economics (2017–2020), University of Münster
  • PhD in Economics (2020–2025), University of Cologne

Sebastian’s research focuses on how targeted behavioral interventions can align individual decisions with policy goals, particularly in student financial aid and risk preference modeling. His studies reveal that misperceptions about eligibility and repayment obligations significantly hinder social benefit take-up, and he explores diagnostic tools to optimize intervention design.

His papers analyze experimental evidence on correcting misperceptions in student aid programs, barriers to social benefit take-up, and preferences for information timing in compound lotteries. Collaborations with institutions like Fraunhofer FIT and researchers such as Matthias Sutter and Sascha Strobl highlight his interdisciplinary approach.

Advisors: Matthias Sutter, Pia Pinger, Bettina Rockenbach

Media Coverage: His work on student aid has been featured in German outlets like Die Zeit, Spiegel, and Wiarda-Blog.