My Fulbright research aims to better understand why people help each other. In many cases, having some ‘extra motivation’ to be prosocial can go a long way, and my research equips policy makers with a toolkit of incentives that amplify our existing tendencies to be helpful, rather than undermine them.
Kieran is a behavioural economist researching the underlying reasons why people engage in helpful behaviour. His PhD focuses on altruism, reciprocity, and incentives, showing how the design of an incentive program affects people’s natural propensity to help each other. Kieran completed a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) and a Bachelor of Mathematics at the University of Queensland, where he was awarded a University Medal and the Microeconomics Honours Prize.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Kieran will work with Associate Professor Marta Serra-Garcia as a visiting researcher at the University of California, San Diego. Together, they intend to integrate the insights from his PhD research with her specialized knowledge in incentives and charitable contributions.