Professor Dr. Kathleen Ngangoué

Biography

Kathleen Ngangoué’s main areas of study are experimental and behavioral information economics. Her research focuses on belief formation and decision making under uncertainty, drawing insights from psychology and neuroeconomics. Ngangoué is particularly interested in the interaction between markets, bounded rationality, and non-standard preferences. Her recent work analyzes how individuals make decisions under uncertainty, particularly highlighting phenomena such as overbidding in auctions when uncertainty is defined by probabilities rather than values. Her observations indicate that the ability to reason strategically can significantly differ based on the probabilities involved. Similar differences can also be observed concerning time preferences; people's reactions to uncertainties depend on the specific objects in question. She has taught at prestigious institutions and raised in both the Republic of Congo and Germany. Ngangoué joined UCLA Anderson School of Management after serving as a visiting assistant professor at New York University, and has been a fellow at University College London. She earned her Ph.D. from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and is a member of the research committee of the Pan-African Research Council, which aims to promote research excellence in Africa.

Research Interests