History and Mission
The MIT Behavioral Research Lab (BRL) was founded in 2006 with support from the Office of the Provost. In 2016, the BRL became a part of MIT Sloan School of Management and has since then received its funding from MIT Sloan’s Office of the Dean. The BRL remains an Institute-wide resource serving all MIT-affiliated behavioral researchers.
The mission of the MIT Behavioral Research Lab (BRL) is to facilitate impactful, innovative, cutting-edge behavioral research at MIT. We carry out this mission by providing lab facilities, recruitment services, and general support to behavioral researchers across MIT while enabling individuals inside and outside of MIT to participate in meaningful research studies.
What is Behavioral Research?
Behavioral research can be broadly defined as the study of human and animal behavior in response to internal or external stimuli. This includes our interactions with other individuals, our reactions to changes in the physical environment, and the decisions we make in different situations. While behavioral research is more directly associated with the “behavioral sciences” (which consist of disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and economics), it is frequently conducted in business, computer science, education, and many other fields for the purpose of examining human behavior in real-life contexts.
Our Leadership Team and Advisory Board
Leadership Team
Jared R. Curhan
Gordon Kaufman Professor of Management
Jared Curhan is the Gordon Kaufman Professor and a Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management, as well as Faculty Director of MIT’s Behavioral Research Lab.Curhan specializes in the psychology of negotiation and…
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Drazen Prelec
Digital Equipment Corp. Leaders for Global Operations Professor of Management
Drazen Prelec is the Digital Equipment Corp. Leaders for Global Operations Professor of Management and a Professor of Management Science and Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Prelec holds appointments in the Department of…
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Advisory Board
Abdullah Almaatouq
Douglas Drane Career Development Assistant Professor in Information Technology and Management
Abdullah Almaatouq is a computational social scientist and the Douglas Drane Career Development Assistant Professor in Information Technology and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Abdullah’s research focuses on improving cooperation,…
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Rahul Bhui
Class of 1958 Career Development Assistant Professor
Rahul Bhui is an Assistant Professor of Marketing and the Class of 1958 Career Development Assistant Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and affiliate faculty of the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. His research combines…
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John S. Carroll
Hear name pronounced.Gordon Kaufman Professor of Management, Emeritus
John Carroll is the Gordon Kaufman Professor of Management, Emeritus and a Professor Post Tenure of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He was also Professor of Engineering Systems until 2015 and served as Co…
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Emilio J. Castilla
NTU Professor of Management
Emilio J. Castilla is the NTU Professor of Management and a Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management.Castilla is currently the co-director of the Institute for Work and Employment Research. He joined the MIT…
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Jackson G. Lu
Sloan School Career Development Associate Professor of Work and Organization Studies
Jackson G. Lu is the Sloan School Career Development Associate Professor and an Associate Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He serves as a senior editor for Organization Science, a senior editor for…
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Thomas W. Malone
Patrick J. McGovern (1959) Professor of Management
Thomas W. Malone is the Patrick J. McGovern (1959) Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the founding director of the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence. At MIT, he is also a Professor of Information Technology and a…
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Hazhir Rahmandad
Hear name pronounced.Schussel Family Professor of Management Science
Hazhir Rahmandad is the Schussel Family Professor of Management Science and a Professor of System Dynamics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Hazhir's research shows how complex organizational dynamics can lead to heterogeneity in organizational…
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David G. Rand
Erwin H. Schell Professor
David Rand is the Erwin H. Schell Professor and Professor of Management Science and Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, the director of the Applied Cooperation Initiative, and an affiliate of the MIT Institute of Data, Systems, and Society, and the…
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Basima Tewfik
Assistant Professor, Work and Organization Studies
Basima Tewfik (pronounced buh-see-ma too-fik) is an Assistant Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her main stream of research examines the psychology of the social self at work. In particular, she seeks…
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Y. Karen Zheng
George M. Bunker Associate Professor
Yanchong (Karen) Zheng is the George M. Bunker Professor of Management and an Associate Professor of Operations Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her research focuses on two general topics: (I) the design of incentives, technologies,…
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