Daniel R
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at Columbia University
Expertise
Consumer Health and Wellness, Psychology of well-being, Judgement and Decision Making, Consumer Behavior/Psychology, Marketing
Bio
Hi there, I just completed a PhD in consumer behavior within the Marketing Department at Columbia Business School. My research focuses on how people make decisions about their health and wellness. I've published articles and presented research in top academic conferences and journals. Some of my favorite projects look at how people think about the body (as a machine or as a temple), or think about the differences between "health" and "wellness," which guides behavior. I've always been fascinated with how things work. Before my PhD I studied product development and engineering at Northwestern University and worked in consumer products as a mechanical engineer and program manager for 5 years at Ford, Lucid Motors, and a few startups. I enjoyed contributing to innovative projects building wearable motion chargers, carbon nanotube seat heaters, and autonomous vehicle interiors and received multiple patents for my designs.Project ideas
Why do some people love group fitness classes and others would rather work out alone?
Some people thrive on the energy of a spin class or team sport; others find a solo run far more appealing — or even find group settings stressful. This project explores what's really driving that split: is it about motivation, social anxiety, competitiveness, or something else? You'll start with background research on exercise motivation and personality, gather some preliminary opinions from classmates, then design a method (surveys, interviews, or a small comparative study) to test your hypothesis about what predicts class-vs-solo preference.
What do people buy to be "healthy"?
People define "healthy" in wildly different ways — some mean weight, some mean energy, some mean mental clarity — and their choices (diet, exercise, sleep, flossing) don't always match their own definition. You'll research existing theories of health identity and self-perception, gather some preliminary data on how people define and pursue "healthy," then use a mix of qualitative and light quantitative methods to look for patterns between stated values and actual behavior. Or this could be a purely conceptual paper that presents a new consumer theory about healthiness.
Why do people happily recommend a fitness product to a friend, but hesitate to recommend their meditation app?
Someone will rave about a new running shoe or protein powder without a second thought, but bringing up a meditation app can feel oddly personal — like you're admitting something vulnerable rather than sharing a tip. This project digs into that asymmetry: is it about privacy, stigma around mental health, a sense that fitness is "achievement" while meditation is "admission," or something else entirely? You'll start with a literature review on health behavior disclosure and stigma, then gather some preliminary data — maybe informal interviews or surveys asking people what they would and wouldn't readily recommend and why. From there, you'll choose a research method (qualitative interviews, a comparative survey, or a small experiment manipulating framing) and run a basic analysis to see what's really driving the difference.