Engelmann is a researcher with the UvA’s Centre for Research in Experimental Economics and Political Decision making (CREED) and a lecturer in the Neuroeconomics Master’s track. He also created this track and introduced it as part of the MSc Business Economics programme.

Risk, trust, and decision-making

In his research and teaching, the newly appointed professor will focus on decision biases in risky and social choices and how these are driven by cognitive and emotional processes. This includes topics such as the role of anxiety when deciding to invest in risky assets, as well as when deciding whether to trust others. Engelmann’s current projects combine methods from neuroscience, psychology, and economics to identify the neurobiological basis of trust and punishment, and the role of attention and personality in social and risky decision-making. Engelmann’s main goal is to apply the insights garnered from his research to societally relevant topics such as sustainable decision-making.

Amsterdam School of Economics (ASE) chair Roel Beetsma is very pleased with Engelmann’s appointment: 'It’s well deserved - his academic credentials are outstanding and he is the founder of the highly successful Master track in Neuroeconomics. Both ASE and the university in a broader sense will continue to benefit from Jan’s dynamism and energy. We have high expectations of his future contributions'.

About Jan Engelmann

Jan Engelmann obtained his MA (honours) in experimental psychology from the University of St Andrews (Scotland) before going on to complete an MSc and PhD (2008) in experimental psychology at Brown University (United States). He has been a research fellow at a number of universities abroad and spent 2 years as a research fellow at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour at Radboud University. He joined the Amsterdam School of Economics as an associate professor in 2016.

Engelmann has been the recipient of a number of awards (such as the Emory University Best Poster Award in Neurobiology, and the Association for Psychological Science Travel Award) and research grants (such as the Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Project Grant) throughout his academic career. He has published extensively in a variety of general interest, neuroscience and economics journals. He has also served on the editorial board of academic journals and is a member of a number of professional associations and societies related to his field of study. Engelmann holds a number of administrative positions and is an active participant in academic conferences, both as an organiser and as a speaker.