Regular biography
Associate Professor David Smerdon is an Associate Professor in the School of Economics at The University of Queensland. His research primarily focuses on behavioural and development economics, employing theory, modelling, experiments, and econometric analysis to explore topics at their intersection. His work includes projects on reducing female genital cutting in Somalia and stopping child trafficking in Nepal. Smerdon earned his PhD from the Tinbergen Institute and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) as a General Sir John Monash scholar and later worked as a PODER fellow at Bocconi University in Milan. He is also a chess Grandmaster and has represented Australia at eight chess Olympiads. His research often involves collaboration with non-academic partners, including aid agencies, NGOs, and tech companies.
Scholar-generated biography
David Smerdon is an economist specializing in behavioral economics, with a focus on understanding how social norms and economic inequality influence human behavior. His research explores the impact of economic disparity on community resilience, the persistence of harmful social norms, and the role of information in changing these norms. He also investigates the intersection of technology and education, such as the use of AI in essay-based assessment. His work often combines experimental methods with real-world data to analyze issues like refugee integration, gender disparities in chess, and the effects of masks on cognitive performance.