David P Tracer Editor

Dr. Meng Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Rutgers University. Dr. Li studies the systematic difference between what we think “rational” people ought to do, and what people actually do. Harnessing human decision biases, her research uses minor changes in the decision environment, or “nudges”, to motivate socially optimal behaviors, such as preventive health behavior, environmental conservation, work-life balance, and smart transportation decisions.  Her policy-oriented research tests the flexibility of public opinions on resource allocation, as well as their altruistic and self-interested motives in vaccination decisions. Her publications have appeared in prestigious journals such as JAMA, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, and Psychological Science.

David P. Tracer is Professor in the Departments of Health and Behavioral Sciences and Anthropology at the University of Colorado Denver. He holds a PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Michigan.  His main theoretical areas of expertise are human ecology and evolutionary perspectives on numerous aspects of both human biology and behavior.  Within the biological arena his research has considered aspects of maternal and child health including nutrition, growth and development, and determinants of fertility. Within the area of human behavior, his research has focused on decision-making and social norms including reciprocity, altruism, bargaining, and justice. He has conducted research for over 25 years in Papua New Guinea as well as among Bedouins in Israel as a J. William Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in Economics. Dr. Tracer’s work has been published in top journals including Science, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Nature Communications and Current Anthropology.