Thomas Lauer

Dr. Thomas Lauer serves as Scientific Managing Director of the Erfurt Laboratory for Empirical Research (ErfurtLab) at the University of Erfurt and holds the position of Deputy Data Protection Officer for the university. His academic work bridges empirical research infrastructure management and experimental economics scholarship.

His research focuses on Experimental Economics, Behavioral Economics, and Experimental Methods, with significant contributions to understanding social dilemmas, time preferences, leadership dynamics, and incentive structures. Methodologically, he specializes in z-Tree and oTree programming for laboratory and field experiments, particularly examining conservation behavior, team performance, and climate change mitigation strategies.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals consistent exploration of intergenerational cooperation and temporal discounting across environmental and organizational contexts. His work increasingly integrates field experiments with traditional laboratory settings, demonstrating practical applications in sustainable resource management and organizational design.

Dr. Lauer has secured substantial research funding including a 54,000 Euro DFG project (2013-2015) on leadership determinants and multiple Center for Social and Economic Behavior grants (2015-2019) examining sustainable consumption, cooperation mechanics, and incentive effects. His teaching portfolio includes advanced courses in Behavioral Economics, Experimental Methods, and zTree/oTree programming.

As head of the ErfurtLab, he oversees three physical laboratories (West, Central, East), mobile research infrastructure, and the Thüringen-Panel data collection system. The facility supports interdisciplinary empirical research across economics, psychology, and social sciences through standardized experimental protocols and technical resources.