Research Statement:

My research can be broadly organized into three intertwined research programs (this section is a work in progress): 

1. In Economics, my work has primarily focused on behavioral and experimental economics—particularly motivated beliefs and memory—but has increasingly extended beyond the laboratory to questions in political economy. More recently, how individuals’ mental models of the world—or ‘narratives’—shape behavior and evolve over time. Empirically, my recent work examines populism, radicalization, and conspiratorial thinking. 

2. In Philosophy, my main interests lie in epistemology and political philosophy. For instance, my work emphasizes understanding how knowledge is produced and communicated, and how specific knowledge structures also represent political choices. More recently, I have worked on the philosophy of AI. 

3. Within Cognitive science, I am particularly interested in how mental models—and concepts such as causality, complexity, and intrinsic motivation—develop from a cognitive point of view and how they affect behavior.  

In practice, my research primarily engages with behavioral economics and political economy, while also drawing on economic history and philosophy. I view these interests as complementary, as they all reflect— from the micro- to the macro-scale — an interest in human behavior and human nature. 

Work in progress

• "Truth hurts: the dynamics of motivated mislearning" (with Lidia Esposito and Thibaut Lapeyre).

• Thinking Like a Nazi: the mechanisms behind scapegoating narratives (preliminary title). with Jan Linzenich.

• Whodunit?: how suspense shapes narrative selection (preliminary title).

• A model of populist competition (preliminary title).

Conferences and Workshops

• Bergen-Berlin Workshop in Behavioral Economics (22-24th of March 2026): I will have a small talk to present my project 'Thinking like a Nazi'.

• February 26th and 27th 2026: I will attend the London School Economics' Joint Sessions on Critical Europe. I will talk about the threat that "techno-fascism" represents to Europe, as well as discuss the relevance (or not) of this specific terminology to designate a branch of the technological far-right in the United States. Title of my intervention: "Apocalyptics and technofascism: politics in the end of times". My research note is available here.

• July 6-8 2026: Scientific Committee of the 2nd Berlin PhD Conference in Behavioral Economics and Micro Theory. Also took part in the organization of the Applied Micro PhD Conference, also in Berlin. 

Miscellaneous and oldies (access under request - or available on Academia)

• "De la gestion efficace et durable des communs", 2025, small note for Regards Croisés sur l'Economie with Elise Olivier. Available here. Basically a summary of Elinor Ostrom's work on the commons. Coverage of this journal issue: Les Echos.

• "Do androids dream of stochastic parrots?", 2024. Available here (only in portuguese for now). 

• "Innovation et Inégalités: à qui profite le progrès technique?" (with Olivier Pernet-Coudrier): small note for Regards Croisés sur l'Economie (2024), available here. NB: not quite satisfied with this one; we didn't have much space to work with, so I think we remained a bit caricatural, especially in what concerns the effects of AI. 

• "Liberté, Causalité, Sérendipité(s)". Revue Opium-Philosophie: Accident (2023).

• "Heidegger au Japon? Art, nature et temps morts dans l'animation japonaise". WebRevue Opium-Philosophie (2023).

• "Carl Schmitt perdido em Marte". Lugar Comum #56 (2018).

• "Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Improviso". Lugar Comum #52 (2018).

Master Theses (access under request)

• M2 Thesis: "Understanding intrinsic preferences for freedom: the role of uncertainty resolution and controlled exploration". Under the supervision of Professor Bastien Blain (University Paris-1 Panthéon-Sorbonne). 

• M1 Thesis: "Greenmembering: Motivated Memory in Climate Change". Under the supervision of Professor Charlotte Saucet (University Paris-1 Panthéon-Sorbonne).