Foundation supports neuroeconomics PhD students

The financial support granted by the Lucerne-based Marlene Porsche Foundation will enable even more students to gain a doctorate in neuroeconomics at the University of Zurich, announced a statement.

The programme launched in 2010. Since then, 10 students have earned their PhD and a further 11 are currently enrolled.

“We are very excited about this generous contribution,” said Professor Ernst Fehr. “It allows us to offer a group of young scholars excellent training in this promising field.”

According to the university, there is great demand for neuroeconomics researchers, who work on improving understanding of how the brain influences human behavior.

Their goal is to understand the causes of human behaviors such as altruism, egoism, risk-taking or self-control at the neural level.

The University of Zurich is home to the Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research (SNS-Lab) and describes itself as a leader in the field of neuroeconomics.

It explained in the statement that Zurich has established itself as an “international center in the field of neuroeconomics, and scientists from around the world are taking part in the SNS Lab’s research initiatives.”