I study ethical intelligence— the cognitive tools that people need in order to coordinate in social life, as when using the same products, buying beers that will be enjoyed by others at a party, and conforming to community standards or being viewed as popular. I study both how ethical intelligence works at a basic level, and how it intersects with business at an applied level:

1 How ethical intelligence influences consumer interactions with companies.

2 In turn, how companies can market in ways that are sensitive to these moral buttons.

I study this relationship through specific case studies, such as the ethics of autonomous machines, ascriptions of charitability, and corporate essentialism. Studying ethical intelligence can demystify the high-level thoughts and intuitions (aka 'common sense') that make humans unique, engender stable institutions in which people coordinate for the greater good, and help us live better lives. I approach these questions using various methods from experimental psychology and machine learning, while drawing on theoretical insights from game theory, evolutionary biology, and philosophy.

As part of the applied arm of my research, I work with several companies in the autonomous vehicle and mental health sectors, among others.