I was classically trained in social and organizational psychology (Hons BSc Psychology, University of Lisbon). My keen interest in using psychology for the public good led me to direct my graduate studies towards acquiring complementary expertise that could support psychological research applied to critical social problems (MSc Economics and Social Policy, University of Lisbon; MSc Decision Sciences and PhD Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE). My motivation to make psychological science a more substantive foundation for intervention and policy-making has led me to collaborate with several interdisciplinary (international) projects and centers e.g., King’s College-LSE Center for Financial Incentives in Health; EPPI Center for Evidence-based Policy and Practice; Harvard Medical School-Portugal Program on Heart Disease; ETH-Singapore Future Sustainable Cities; PsyCorona Project about COVID-19.

My research focuses on the effectiveness of psychological interventions to promote healthy and sustainable living, mainly drawing from theories about fundamental human needs (e.g., SDT, attachment) or cognitive reframing (e.g., Prospect Theory). I use a variety of methodological tools including (1) Lab studies testing small-scale psychologically-driven interventions; (2) Large field experiments testing how to scale-up behavioral interventions in natural settings; and (3) Evidence-based intervention evaluation, based on meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.

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cfn1@nyu.edu