Robert Kuan

Rob is a PhD student at Wharton researching decision-making, self-control, and behavior change.

He primarily uses large-scale field studies to investigate how people can change their behavior—especially when facing self-control challenges or when initial intentions do not match subsequent follow-through. He is also interested in why individuals choose to restructure their environments to pursue their goals.

Prior to entering his PhD program, Rob has worked with labs in Stanford, Wharton, UCLA, and University of British Columbia to conduct research on decision making, financial well-being, and behavioral change interventions. In his previous life, Rob worked as a management consultant at Charles River Associates and director of data product management at Personal Capital, a Silicon Valley tech company acquired in 2020.

Rob received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011.