My research focuses on how the cultural forces which shape the world simultaneously impact and result from individual consumption and time-use experiences and, through this channel, drive aggregate economic outcomes. To this end my research interests are necessarily broad but are dictated by two fundamental yet related questions. First, why do people consume, save, and allocate their time toward various experiences? And second, how do such decisions lead to various phenomena we observe in aggregate outcomes, such as growth, business cycles, structural change, financial bubbles, and inequality? To explore the former question I have projects which examine the micro-foundational aspects of consumption, savings, and budgeting decisions. In addressing the latter question, I have projects which explore the role of consumption and time-use preferences in driving aggregate outcomes. Policy-wise, my research explores the forces driving development, feedback effects from population aging, as well as the efficiency of markups and subsidization policies designed to encourage green-energy adoption. My work has been funded by the NSF,  the PNC Center for Financial Services at Carnegie Mellon University, and LAEF at UCSB. 

Currently, I have affiliations with 3 different universities.  I am the Assistant Director of the Laboratory for Aggregate Economics and Finance at UCSB, where I organize conferences and workshops which address core fundamental issues and theories at the frontier of economic research. I am also an adjunct professor teaching undergrads, Masters, and MBA students at both Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and the University of Rochester's Simon Graduate School of Business.