Pedram Heydari

  Welcome! 

I am a behavioral economist currently serving as an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Transportation, where I work on applied economic and policy questions related to transportation systems and infrastructure.

My research focuses on how people actually make decisions under uncertainty, incentives, and institutional constraints, particularly when behavior departs from standard models of rational choice. I combine economic theory, experimental design, and empirical analysis to study decision-making and to translate those insights into better-designed systems and policies. My work has applications across artificial intelligence, healthcare, transportation, and consumer behavior.

I have led and collaborated on interdisciplinary projects with psychologists, bioethicists, and computer scientists, and have designed and run large-scale online experiments with over 10,000 participants. These projects aim to improve how models (both human-facing and algorithmic) account for real behavioral responses.

In addition to research, I have taught game theory, microeconomics, and macroeconomics at the University of Pittsburgh, Northeastern University, and Johns Hopkins University, consistently receiving strong evaluations for clarity and engagement.

I am particularly interested in applied roles where economic modeling, empirical analysis, and behavioral insight inform high-stakes decisions, such as pricing, investment, platform design, policy evaluation, or AI system behavior.