- Phone:
- (812) 855-1467
- Email:
- sattari@indiana.edu
- Website:
- http://www.szattari.com/
- Room Number:
- 347
- Areas of Interest:
- Human behavior and resource use ,
- Environmental psychology ,
- Social dilemmas
Education
- Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering & Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, 2009
- M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 2005
- B.S., Engineering Physics, University of Illinois, 2004
Courses
- Human Behavior and Energy Consumption
- Environment & People
Biography
Dr. Shahzeen Attari, member of O'Neill's faculty since 2011, focuses on human behavior and resource use. Attari and her lab work on a range of research topics that span perceptions, motivations, and biases of how people understand complex systems and use natural resources.
Her work has strong links to both cognitive science and environmental science and has been published in top journals such as the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. Her research has also been summarized in a variety of venues, including the New York Times, The Economist, and BBC.
Prior to working at IU, Attari was a postdoctoral fellow at the Earth Institute and the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED) at Columbia University, and received her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering & Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
Attari's current research investigates systems thinking, how to use games for research and learning, ad hominem attacks on climate change researchers, and factors that influence perceptions of natural resources.
Highlights
- Indiana University Bicentennial Professor (2019-20)
- Andrew Carnegie Fellow (2018)
- Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University (2017-18)
- Outstanding Junior Faculty, Indiana University (2017)
- Excellence in Teaching, Campus Catalyst Award (2014), Indiana University
- Outstanding Teaching Award (2009), Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
In the News
- "Climate Scientists' Personal Carbon Footprints Come Under Scrutiny" - InsideClimate News, June 23, 2016
- "IU research shows climate scientists are more credible when they practice what they preach" - IUB Newsroom, June 16, 2016
- "Don't rush to flush: Indiana University research measures bathroom behavior" - IUB Newsroom, June 15, 2015.
- "Blame cognitive biases when efforts to conserve water aren't effective" - NPR Morning Edition, May 5, 2015
- "A special Earth Day edition of Profiles features two interviews with noted authorities on sustainability." - WFIU, April 19, 2015
- "California Drought Can't Stop Production of Bottled Water" - CNBC, August 7, 2014
- "A Short List of Effective Actions to Conserve Water at Home" - National Geographic, August 4, 2014
- "Why Don't People Conserve Energy and Water?" - TEDX-Bloomington, June 11, 2014
Selected Works
- “Perceptions of water systems,” (with K. Poinsatte-Jones and K. Hinton), Judgment and Decision Making, 12 (3) 314-327 (2017)
- "Statements about climate researchers’ carbon footprints affect their credibility and the impact of their advice," (with D.H. Krantz and E.U. Weber) Climatic Change 1-14 (2016)
- “Enabling energy conservation through effective decision aids,” (with D. Rajagopal) Journal of Sustainability Education, 8 (2015)
- "Reasons for cooperation and defection in real-world social dilemmas," (with D. H. Krantz and E. U. Weber), Judgment and Decision Making9 (4): 316-334 (2014).
- "Perceptions of water use,"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,111 (14): 5129-5134 (2014)
- Commentary of article: "Understanding environmentally significant consumption," T. Dietz, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111 (14), 5067-5068 (2014)
- "The water short list: The most effective actions U.S. households can take to curb water use," (with B. I. Inskeep), Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development,56 (4): 4-15 (2014) (Cover Article).
- "On the importance of strengthening moderate beliefs in climate science to foster support for immediate action," (with S. Carley, J. D. Graham, R. M. Krause, J. Rupp, D. Warren, and Z. A. Wendling), Sustainability,5 (12): 5153-5170 (2013)
- "Paying for what was free: Lessons from the New York Times paywall," (with J.E. Cook), Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking15 (12): 1-6 (2012)
- "Catalyzing frontiers in water-climate-society research: A view from early career scientists and junior faculty," (with S. McNeeley, et al.), Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 93 (4): 477-484 (2012)
- "Changing household behaviors to curb climate change: How hard can it be?" (with C.I. Davidson, M. L. DeKay, and W. Bruine de Bruin), Sustainability: The Journal of Record, 4 (1), 9-11 (2011)