As an environmental psychologist, Nicole’s work strives to advance psychological theory while producing insights that can be applied to benefit the environment and society. Broadly, she is interested in: (1) illuminating the psychological, social, and contextual factors that influence individual-level behavior pertaining to environmental resource consumption; (2) developing and evaluating interventions aimed at promoting sustainable behavior; and (3) investigating the cognitive, emotional, and social factors that influence intervention effectiveness. Her work takes an interdisciplinary approach grounded in behavioral science with a focus on quantitative methods (e.g., experimental, survey), often involving the collection of high-resolution consumption (e.g., smart electric meter) and other consumer data. Key areas of interest include how individuals use energy in households, the adoption and use of energy efficient technologies (e.g., electric cars), and behavioral spillover across the food-energy-water nexus. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, World Wildlife Fund, and US Army Research Office. She holds a B.S. in Psychology / Ecology from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master’s in Psychology, graduate certificate in Sustainable Cities, and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Southern California. Outside of the lab, you may find her running, hiking, or baking vegan treats. For information on current projects in Nicole’s lab, click here.

Research keywords:

behavior change, decision making, psychology, intervention, technology adoption, smart grid, energy use, power systems, electric vehicles, transportation behavior, sustainability, behavioral spillover, food-energy-water nexus, habits, self-monitoring, self-perception, symbolic attributes, cognitive attribution, cognitive bias, social influence