Dr Kate Laffan is an Assistant Professor in Behavioural Science. She has a BComm International (majoring in Economics) from University College Dublin and the University of Salamanca Spain and an MSc and PhD in Social Policy from the London School of Economics. Her PhD titled ‘Issues realting to Wellbeing, Behaviour and the Environment’ was funded by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
Kate’s research lies at the intersection of psychology and economics and she uses primarily quantitative methods including lab, field and online experiments, as well as surveys and secondary data analysis, to investigate the drivers of human behaviour and wellbeing and design and test interventions to shape how people act. She has a particular interest in environmental and pro-social behaviours and in the reciprocal relationship between what people do and how they feel in these domains.
Kate was awarded the prestigious Marie-Skowldolska-Curie Fellowship from the European Commission to investigate the intention-behaviour gaps in environmentally significant consumption behaviours such as diet and transport and she has ongoing streams of work on this topic, as well as on using behavioural science to promote sustainability within organisations.
Kate is committed to policy impact. She has worked with a wide range of government bodies, charities, international organisations and private companies on the application of behavioural science to policy challenges. Most recently Kate spent two years as a Behavioural Science Fellow at the OECD, working in their Executive Directorate to put behavioural insights into practice to promote sustainability and management excellence. Kate also co-leads a working group in the UN’s One Planet Network on Behavioural Insights for Sustainable Lifestyles and Organisations.
Awards
- National University of Ireland Early Career Award
- Marie-Skowdolska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow
- Lindau Nobel Meeting Attendee
- Alpro Research Foundation
- Grantham Institute Studentship