David Melnikoff

Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior
Stanford Graduate School of Business

I investigate how people pursue and achieve their goals. My primary focus is the phenomenon of flow, where goal pursuit feels deeply immersive and effortlessly engaging, resulting in optimal performance and well-being. My approach is multidisciplinary. Using tools from psychology, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, I develop mathematical models that illuminate the inner working of flow and reveal actionable strategies for optimizing flow in daily life.