Marwa El Zein

Welcome to my academic website. I have transitioned to a non-academic position, I am currently a Senior Research Consultant at Humans Matter in Paris. I will keep this website up to date with my academic achievements such as publications and teaching activities.

From 2021 to 2023, I worked a researcher at the Adaptive Rationality Center, Max-Planck for Human Development, Berlin and collaborated with the CEVIPOF, Sciences Po, Paris –under a Marie Sklodowska Curie European funding. My research focused on exploring the impact of varying levels of group affiliation on collective decision-making processes when learning and updating information as a group. My collaboration with a political research center allowed me to contemplate potential applications of this research to political behaviors. It also gave me the opportunity to teach a master's course at the School of Public Affairs of Sciences Po on behavioral insights and political behaviors, emphasizing how insights from cognitive and behavioral science contribute to public policy.

From 2017 to 2021, I held the position of a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow at University College London in London. During this period, I initiated my research on collective decision-making, with a particular focus on understanding the motivational factors that drive individuals to join groups. Through a series of theoretical and experimental publications, my work underscored the role of shared responsibility in collective decisions, and how it helps mitigating feelings of regret, blame and stress.

Prior to that, I completed my PhD at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, in the field of social cognition focusing on perceptual decisions about facial emotions.

Over the years, I have been keen on applying my expertise in social behaviours to address tangible societal issues. Consequently, I engaged in several applied projects alongside my academic journey. I have recently made the decision to dedicate my efforts to applied research through my new position at Humans Matter, a company committed to supporting behavioural transitions in various societal domains, including the work environment, healthcare, education, and the public sector.