El-Erian Professor of Behavioural Economics and Policy
Director of the El-Erian Institute of Behavioural Economics and Policy
Acting Dean and Professorial Fellow of Queens’ College
Dr. oec. (University of Hohenheim)
I am a behavioural economist and consumer researcher. My research interests focus on the theory and application of behavioural insights to promote behavioural change in individuals and organisations towards societal welfare and sustainable development. I have two decades of experience with high-level policy consulting on consumer behaviour and policy, including with the EU and World Bank, as we as governments worldwide.
I’m the inaugural Director of the El-Erian Institute for Behavioural Economics and Policy at Cambridge Judge Business School and a member of the Economics and Policy Subject Group.
Applying rigorous empirical research on the effectiveness and acceptability of behavioural insights to policymaking supports the change towards more sustainable consumption, production, and organisations.
Professional experience
Lucia brings 2 decades of experience with high-level policy consulting on consumer behaviour and behavioural policy. She has been founding chair of the Advisory Council for Consumer Affairs of the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (2014-2018). She has also been a member of the German Bioeconomy Council, the German Council for Sustainable Development (2010-2019), and a regular member of high-level scientific committees and ad hoc groups consulting for the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on sustainability issues (eg the Ethics Commission after Fukushima, 2011). Beyond the German government, Lucia has consulted for international organisations (EU, OECD, UNEP, World Bank, Inter American Bank) and governments worldwide on making use of behavioural insights.
Her academic achievement has been rewarded with being elected as a lifelong member of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering. She is also an honorary Leibniz Professor at the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology in Bremen, and an Elected Member of the Technical Academy of Science of Germany.
Lucia is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Consumer Policy (SpringerNature), and on the editorial board of Behavioural Public Policy (Oxford University Press) and Food Policy (Elsevier).
She is a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report.
At Queens’ College, she is Academic Director of the YNOT Institute: Data Science for Equity.
Previous appointments
Professor Reisch was a professor of consumer behaviour and policy at Copenhagen Business School prior to joining Cambridge Judge Business School.
News and insights
Research centre news
Study finds simple restaurant table message cuts food waste
With 75% of hospitality food waste avoidable, a low-cost behavioural nudge using table cards significantly reduced restaurant diner leftovers, says a new study co-authored by Professor Lucia Reisch, Director of the El-Erian Institute of Behavioural Economics and Policy.
ESG and sustainability
Sustainable cities: blueprint for urban climate action
Urban areas are major contributors to climate change but also critical sites for implementing sustainable solutions. Research by Cambridge Judge Business School's Lucia Reisch provides a blueprint for local initiatives to be adopted in cities around the world.
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.
Media coverage
The Sunday Times | 3 August 2025
Gen Z’s perfect time to dine? Bookings for 6pm are booming
In this article Professor Lucia Reisch comments on Gen Z dinner habits, affected also by a higher awareness of healthy diets.
Business Insider | 10 May 2025
First it was Canada – now some Europeans are avoiding US brands too
Professor Lucia Reisch weighs in with comments about current European consumer choices, in light of tariff policies and turmoil.
Harvard Business Review | 14 February 2024
Nudging employees to make more sustainable choices
Professor Lucia Reisch co-authored an article on how Porsche used nudge management for more sustainable behaviour in convincing its ‘petrol-head’ employees to instead drive electric vehicles.
“When nudges are tailored to the respective corporate context, and when modes and timing of their placement are orchestrated in an intelligent way, they represent an effective and non-patronizing way of creating more sustainable employee behavior and, over time, have the potential to evolve an entire company culture — maintaining the unique heritage of the brand.”
Project Syndicate | 28 July 2023
Defaulting to plant-based foods
Institute of Directors | 24 March 2023
From the ‘C-Suite’ to ‘Gen-Z’ – why ESG needs to drive the new digital agenda
ConSalud, 12 July 2022
Are healthy food messages and labels really effective?