Assistant Research Professor
El-Erian Institute of Behavioural Economics and Policy
PhD (University of Hohenheim)
My research addresses the theoretical and empirical analysis of consumer behaviour and (behavioural) public policy; health behaviour; health policy evaluation; and social data science, machine learning, and econometrics.
Professional experience
Micha Kaiser is an economist with a background in statistics and data science, as well as practical experience in managing and delivering research projects across academia, policy, and industry. He is currently an Assistant Research Professor at the El-Erian Institute of Behavioural Economics and Policy and Deputy Director of the YNOT Institute at Queens’ College, Cambridge. His work applies data science and behavioural insights to challenges in economics, public policy, sustainability, and health. His recent research examines the effects of large language models on individual decision-making, as well as their potential role in policymaking. His work is empirically grounded and interdisciplinary, often combining primary data collection with advanced modelling techniques.
He is also Co-Principal Investigator of the Horizon Europe project BELOOP. As part of the project, he works with colleagues to analyse how AI technologies can be used to design dynamic interventions that contribute to a more circular economy.
Previous appointments
From 2017 to 2019, Micha Kaiser was a post-doctoral researcher at the Center for Consumer, Markets, and Policy at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Between 2020 and 2022, he held a (tenure track) assistant professorship in Consumer Research Methods at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.
Publications
Selected publications
- Kaiser, M., Dewies, M., Lin, D., Sunstein, C.R. and Reisch, L.A. (2026) “Socioeconomic status mostly outweighs psychological factors in predicting individual ecological footprints.” Communications Earth and Environment (DOI: 10.1038/s43247-026-03521-z) (published online Apr 2026)
- Kaiser, M., Sunstein, C.R. and Reisch, L.A. (2025) “On preferring people to algorithms.” Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 71(3): 245-272 (DOI: 10.1007/s11166-025-09466-6)
- Kaiser, M., Bauer, J.M., Otterbach, S., Reisch, L.A. and Sousa-Poza, A. (2023) “The association between commuting and cardiovascular disease: a biomarker-based analysis of cross-sectional cohort data from the UK Biobank.” Preventive Medicine, 172: 107521 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107521)
- Decrinis, L., Freibichler, W., Kaiser, M., Sunstein, C.R. and Reisch, L.A. (2023) “Sustainable behaviour at work: how message framing encourages employees to choose electric vehicles.” Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(8): 5650-5668 (DOI: 10.1002/bse.3441)
- Reisch, L.A., Sunstein, C.R. and Kaiser, M. (2021) “What do people want to know? Information avoidance and food policy implications.” Food Policy, 102: 102076 (DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102076)
- Kaiser, M., Bernauer, M., Sunstein, C.R. and Reisch, L.A. (2020) “The power of green defaults: the impact of regional variation of opt-out tariffs on green energy demand in Germany.” Ecological Economics, 174: 106685 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106685)
Journal articles
- Cao, X., Xu, S., Kaiser, M., Reisch, L.A. and Jia, X. (2026) “Nudging for climate-friendly diets in eating-out settings: a real-world experiment in China.” British Food Journal, 128(7): 3115-3131 (DOI: 10.1108/BFJ-08-2025-1087)
- Kaiser, M., Dewies, M., Lin, D., Sunstein, C.R. and Reisch, L.A. (2026) “Socioeconomic status mostly outweighs psychological factors in predicting individual ecological footprints.” Communications Earth and Environment (DOI: 10.1038/s43247-026-03521-z) (published online Apr 2026)
- Kaiser, M., Sunstein, C.R. and Reisch, L.A. (2025) “On preferring people to algorithms.” Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 71(3): 245-272 (DOI: 10.1007/s11166-025-09466-6)
- Kaiser, M., Lohmann, P.M., Ochieng, P., Shi, B., Sunstein, C.R. and Reisch, L.A. (2025) “Leveraging LLMs for predictive insights in food policy and behavioral interventions.” Discover Food, 5: 262 (DOI: 10.1007/s44187-025-00552-x)
- Decrinis, L., Freibichler, W., Kaiser, M., Sunstein, C.R. and Reisch, L.A. (2023) “Sustainable behaviour at work: how message framing encourages employees to choose electric vehicles.” Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(8): 5650-5668 (DOI: 10.1002/bse.3441)
- Kaiser, M., Bauer, J.M., Otterbach, S., Reisch, L.A. and Sousa-Poza, A. (2023) “The association between commuting and cardiovascular disease: a biomarker-based analysis of cross-sectional cohort data from the UK Biobank.” Preventive Medicine, 172: 107521 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107521)
- Mburu, S., Kaiser, M. and Sousa-Poza, A. (2023) “Livestock asset dynamics amongst pastoralists in Northern Kenya.” Journal of African Economies, 32(5): 572-597 (DOI: 10.1093/jae/ejac022)
- Kaiser, M., Otterbach, S. and Sousa-Poza, A. (2022) “Using machine learning to uncover the relation between age and life satisfaction.” Scientific Reports, 12(1): 5263 (DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09018-x)
- Reisch, L.A., Sunstein, C.R. and Kaiser, M. (2021) “What do people want to know? Information avoidance and food policy implications.” Food Policy, 102: 102076 (DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102076)
- Kaiser, M., Bernauer, M., Sunstein, C.R. and Reisch, L.A. (2020) “The power of green defaults: the impact of regional variation of opt-out tariffs on green energy demand in Germany.” Ecological Economics, 174: 106685 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106685)
- Sunstein, C.R., Reisch, L.A. and Kaiser, M. (2019) “Trusting nudges? Lessons from an international survey.” Journal of European Public Policy, 26(10): 1417-1443 (DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2018.1531912)
- Kaiser, M. (2019) “Benford’s Law as an indicator of survey reliability: can we trust our data?” Journal of Economic Surveys, 33(5): 1602-1618 (DOI: 10.1111/joes.12338)
Awards and honours
- Young Researcher Paper Award, Ideas & more, 2020
News and insights
Research centre news
Recent report: when innovation meets public opinion
2025 TechnikRadar’s findings offer a strategic lens for aligning technological development with societal values.
AI and technology
Human brain vs AI: what makes better decisions?
Companies and other organisations are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence to drive strategy and planning. But there’s a key question: does AI actually make better decisions than humans? Academics art Cambridge Judge Business School are using recent research to help answer this question.