Our Team

Wardah Malik is the CEO of BEworks, the first management consulting firm dedicated to using behavioral science to solve the world’s most pressing business and policy challenges. For over a decade, she has been committed to helping leaders develop innovative solutions in health, wealth, sustainability, and organizational behavior using insights and applications grounded in the science of human behavior.

Wardah joined BEworks as one of the founding members in 2012 and has since guided its global application of behavioral economics in the financial services, energy, retail, and government sectors. Most recently, as the chief marketing officer, she focused on positioning the firm as an essential asset in shaping the future of the industries it serves.

Prior to joining BEworks, Wardah worked for LoyaltyOne (Air Miles), where she specialized in consumer research to inform corporate decisions. Following LoyaltyOne, she worked in the lab of Professor. Nina Mazar, an original partner of BEworks. Wardah holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Toronto, where she specialized, with honors, in cognitive neuroscience.

Dan Ariely is the Professor of Behavioral Economics at Fuqua School of Business, Duke University and Founding Partner at BEworks.

Dan Ariely’s groundbreaking experimental research and prolific writing has made him one of the most prominent leaders in the field of Behavioral Economics; an interdisciplinary science combining psychology, and economics to understand human behavior and decision-making.

Dan’s writing on irrational decision-making in the marketplace has been featured in the most prominent academic journals and in a variety of popular media outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and the Boston Globe, among many others. He has also written three New York Times best-selling books that have become recognized standards in the field: Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, and The Honest Truth About Dishonesty.

A behavioral scientist, Nina has been named as one of “The 40 Most Outstanding B-School Profs Under 40 In The World” by the business education website Poets&Quants in 2014. With her focus on behavioral economics, Nina investigates consumer behavior and how it deviates from standard economic assumptions. In addition, she studies moral decision-making and its implications for policy. Her research topics range from irrational attraction to free products, the paradoxes of green behavior to temptations to be dishonest. Nina was nominated for the SSHRC Aurora Prize for “Outstanding New Researcher,” and she is the recipient of several teaching and research awards, including the Rotman Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and the William F. O’Dell Award of AMA’s Journal of Marketing Research (for having made the most significant, long-term contribution to marketing theory, methodology, and/or practice with her 2008 JMR paper on Dishonesty).

Nina has published her research in leading academic journals like the Journal of Marketing Research, Psychological Sciences, Review of Economic Studies, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Popular accounts of her work have appeared among others on NPR, BBC, in the New York Times, Financial Times, Wired, and her research has been featured in Harvard Business Review’s Breakthrough Ideas. Nina is a Professor of Marketing at Questrom School of Business, Boston University; specialization in marketing, behavioral economics, and economic policy; she has a doctorate in Business Administration, from Johannes Gutenberg-University.

David is a Professor from Cornell University, and Chief Science Officer at BEworks. David is renowned for his work in understanding the impact of emotions on decision-making, particularly the impact the emotion disgust has on moral judgments. He is also interested in the influence of emotional states on thinking and deciding. More specifically on how emotions (anger, disgust, fear, etc.) impact how people process information, how they remember events, and how these emotions impact their judgments of others.

David is a featured TED talk presenter, and hosts a podcast on the nature of human morality called Very Bad Wizards.

David Lewis is the President of Research Institute at BEworks. He is also one of the newly elected commissioners of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). He earned his PhD in Marketing (Consumer Behavior) from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University. He completed his MBA in Finance and Strategy at the Schulich School of Business at York University, and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Prior to joining BEworks, he was an Assistant Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Retail Management at Ryerson University. David has held numerous senior positions including Head of Technology, Head of Marketing, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board, at global financial institutions including Barclays Wealth USA, UBS Bank USA, UBS Financial Services Americas, ING DIRECT USA, and Bank of Nova Scotia. Ad Age magazine has also recognized him as being one of the Top 50 marketers in the United States.

David enjoys applying the latest scientific insights to solve real-world problems.

Sean is a seasoned advertising and marketing executive, having spent the last 15 years working on some of the world’s most recognizable brands including, BMW, Microsoft, KFC and MTV. He has held executive leadership positions at Ogilvy & Mather and Dentsu, to name a few. Hailing from South Africa, Sean arrived in Toronto in 2017, where he continued his career in the marketing and advertising arenas.

Adept at leading and growing businesses, Sean is a strategic and creative thinker with a proven track record in delivering business results and leading high-performing teams. He holds both BA and MA degrees and has a passion for technology and understanding consumer behaviour.

Michelle holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Toronto where she also earned an MA and BSc. In the past 11 years, Michelle has studied numerous topics, including: decision-making, belief bias, emotion, communications, consumer and user experience, and organizational behavior. Prior to joining BEworks, Michelle worked as a Research Associate at Cortex, a governance consulting firm that provides advisory services to institutional investors. In this capacity, Michelle completed projects related to board governance, group decision-making, and strategic planning. At BEworks, Michelle supports clients in a number of sectors, and is particularly interested in issues that fall under the umbrella of Behavioral finance.

Office pets aside, Michelle’s favourite thing about BEworks is our smart and inspiring team, and the fact that we tackle meaningful real-world challenges using science every step of the way.

David earned his PhD in Experimental Cognitive Psychology from McMaster University in 2012. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo and was also a Canadian Institutes for Health Research Banting postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. Prior to this, he earned his B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from McMaster University. David has subject-matter expertise in human memory, attention, and perception as well as mind wandering, boredom, and human-computer interaction. David’s research is published in numerous high-impact peer reviewed academic journals.

At BEworks, David is responsible for the Sustainability and Education portfolios. Conducting rigorous scientific research and witnessing first-hand the impacts of that research in the real world is what Dave loves most about working at BEworks.

Ada holds a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Toronto, and was previously a postdoctoral research fellow at York University. Prior to joining BEworks, Ada’s primary research focused on using neuroimaging techniques to examine how the human brain integrates complex dynamic information in a way that ultimately affects people’s decision making and Behavior. Ada’s award-winning academic research is published in top-tier scientific journals. Her past research background helps inform the work she does at BEworks. For instance, how do consumers process and integrate various marketing and product information into their existing knowledge about the world, and what impact does that have on their Behavior? At BEworks, Ada leads innovative projects primarily in the retail and financial space.

What Ada enjoys most about BEworks is the tight-knit collaborative team, and the team’s love of science.

Kazunaga completed his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, and post-doctoral fellowship at McMaster University. Prior to this, he earned his B.Sc. in Psychology from University of Wisconsin- Madison. Throughout his academic career, Kazunaga used behavioral and neuroimaging methodologies to study how people understand the meaning of sentences as well as how people read sentences differently depending on their cognitive abilities and reading experience. Kazunaga’s academic research has been published in several top-tier scientific journals.

At BEworks, Kazunaga utilizes his expertise in statistical analysis and research methods to help solve challenges in financial, energy, and commercial sectors. Kazunaga has led the development of BEworks Japan in 2018 and has maintained a portfolio of several exciting BEworks Japan projects in multiple sectors.

What Kazunaga enjoys most about BEworks is its innovative, collaborative, and diverse culture.

Shannon earned her PhD in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Waterloo where she studied the role of attention and visual processing. She has held two post-doctoral positions, one at the University of Montreal and one at McMaster University, and has published her academic work in several top-tier scientific journals. At BEworks, Shannon applies her expertise in experiment design and advanced statistical analysis to evaluate solutions to various client challenges. So far, she has worked on projects in financial services, marketing, and transit, where she has combined the above approach with insights from the behavioral sciences to guide marketing initiatives. 

What Shannon loves most about BEworks is designing and running experiments that measure behavior in the real world.

Miles joined BEworks in September 2019, as a Business and Corporate Strategist on the Operations team. He originally hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan. There, he spent the last ten years as an Operation Director for a technology startup and provided portfolio company consulting in the venture capital space. Miles has also spent the last eleven years as member of the US Army Reserve, where his career specialty is Psychological Operations. He is veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan).

He earned both his BSc in Finance, and MBA with a concentration in Financial Accounting from Wayne State University, in Detroit, Michigan.

Juan Salcedo is an Associate and Head of Growth LATAM at BEworks. Juan holds a Masters and PhD in experimental social psychology from the Universidad de los Andes and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Bryant University. Juan has worked applying principles and insights from the behavioral sciences to drive innovative solutions in the telecommunications, banking and transportation sectors. Prior to joining BEworks, Juan was head of AdCity at Havas Colombia. He also worked in logistics consulting in China. Juan’s research focuses on signalling and moral reasoning, and he has conducted studies on third party punishment and investor signalling.

“I’m deeply passionate about embedding scientific thinking in our client’s strategy to improve decision-making with empirical evidence.”

Adalberto Palma is a Biochemical Engineer from the Tecnologico de Monterrey (1974), and MPS Candidate from Cornell University (1977). He participated as External Advisor to the Chief of the Office of the Presidency until December 2020; served as Chairman of the National Banking and Securities Commission (2019 – 2020); served as Executive Director of Aspen Institute Mexico (2015-2019); Chairman of the Union of Mexican Financial Institutions, A.C. (2008-2020), Founding Partner of the firms Aperture, S.C. and Proxy Gobernanza Corporativa, S.C.; Independent Member / Member of the Board of Governors of the Instituto para la Protección al Ahorro Bancario (IPAB) (1999-2003); President of Bankers Trust Broker Dealer in Mexico and responsible for Bankers Trust Colombia and Venezuela (1994-1999); held various positions at Citibank N. A. Mexico (1992-1994); Vice President, Corporate Banking (1990-1992); Vice President, Public Sector (1989-1990); Vice President, Corporate Finance (1988-1989); Vice President, Commercial Engineering Unit (1987-1988); Resident Vice President, Citicom de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., subsidiary of Citibank Mexico (1984-1986) and was Assistant Director, Banamex (1975-1983), coordinating the export work of Parián Internacional.

Nathaniel Barr, PhD, is a Scientific Advisor at BEworks. In addition, Nathaniel is a Professor of Creativity and Creative Thinking at Sheridan College. Prior to these roles, Nathaniel earned his PhD and held a postdoctoral research fellow in the Psychology Department at the University of Waterloo.

An award-winning lecturer and researcher, Nathaniel has published on a wide variety of topics within the cognitive and behavioral sciences including creativity, the intersection of thinking and technology, pseudo-profound bullshit, how best to align human and artificial intelligence in the workforce, and the importance of behavioral science in the Anthropocene/Fourth Industrial Revolution. Nathaniel’s research has been covered extensively in the media, including Scientific American, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. He frequently acts as an expert commentator for print, radio, and television, and is recognized as a ‘“Global expert on the debunking of misinformation”‘ on the University of Bristol’s post-truth portal. 

Nathaniel brings this expertise to BEworks in a variety of capacities spanning strategy, practice, and thought leadership. His contributions range from interfacing with clients in diverse sectors, improving the BEworks Method, fostering partnerships with various academics and organizations, writing and speaking about the benefits of bringing Behavioral insights and the scientific method to business and policy, and envisioning how Behavioral science, and BEworks, can solve important challenges and drive innovation. He strives to help realize BEworks’ mandate to transform the economy and society through scientific thinking. 

“In an era defined by human impact, the most important questions to answer are ones about ourselves. We must learn about how we, as humans, think and act, and then use that knowledge to improve outcomes for people around the world. Behavioral science offers both insights and methods to accomplish these aims, and holds special promise in securing a safe and prosperous future for humanity.”

Sarah holds a MA and PhD in cognitive neuroscience from the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto, and BA in psychology from Queen’s University. Her PhD work was nominated for the Governor General’s Gold Medal. Her academic research was multi-disciplinary, with a focus on brain network dynamics and cognition, exploring topics such as how experience and training change brain activity, how information is represented in brain signals, and the neuroscience of music enjoyment. She has particular expertise in research methods and statistics, and she has instructed undergraduate and graduate-level university courses on these topics. She has multiple peer-reviewed publications and has presented her work to scientific communities in 6 different countries.

The thing she loves most about working at BEworks is the high level of scientific rigour and the culture of collaboration with so many other excellent scientists.

Pierre-Jean holds a MSc and a PhD in evolutionary biology from the University of Toulouse in France. He conducted his postdoctoral research at the University of Toronto, the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany.

“My field of expertise focuses on cooperation and conflicts, alignment of interests between partners, and strategies to prevent and counteract cheating. It turns out that the best way to have a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship is to be part of a complex interaction network and share common trade partners. During my latest project, I studied long-term cooperation between species from the Peruvian Amazon. It was the occasion for me to combine work and fun by doing treks in the jungle and the mountains, and by making several short documentaries.”

His role on our Experimentation and Choice Architecture Team involves designing and implementing rigorous empirical tests of Behavioral interventions to quantify Behavior change and translate experimental findings into actionable, scalable solutions for our clients’ toughest challenges.

Angela holds a PhD in Linguistics from Northwestern University in Chicago, which was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship. Prior to this, Angela obtained her BA and MA in Linguistics from Simon Fraser University. She worked as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto – Mississauga. Angela has conducted research on speech perception and learning in children and adults, and the cognitive mechanisms that underpin our ability to adapt to variation in our environment. Her academic research has been published in numerous academic journals and has received coverage in national media outlets, including CBC and CTV News.  

At BEworks, Angela loves being part of such a passionate and supportive team, from the scientists to office pups, who are all committed to leveraging scientific insights to affect real-world change.

Shelbie is a developmental scientist who has 12 years of experience investigating the development of cognitive abilities and biases. She is particularly interested in how cognitive abilities and biases work together to affect the ways people interpret information. At BEworks, Shelbie has applied her expertise to help increase financially healthy behaviors in diverse populations.

Shelbie holds a PhD in development psychology from the University of Illinois and completed a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto. She also earned an MA in psychology (University of Illinois), an MASc in developmental communication sciences (University of Waterloo), and a BA in psychology (University of Waterloo).

Erick holds an MA and PhD in psychology from Central Michigan University, and BA in psychology from York University, Toronto. Early-career experiences in disaster-response and the treatment of trauma in military veterans and first-responders gave Erick a strong appreciation of the behavioral sciences’ potential to help prevent and resolve crises, guide policy, and build strong individuals and communities. Throughout his career, Erick has been interested in translating research in psychology to achieve concrete positive changes, and has worked with hospitals, community health agencies and private organizations to develop programs and policies that support mental health and wellness. He has been heavily involved in public speaking throughout his career and has taught at the college and university level in the U.S. and Canada. Outside of work, Erick enjoys drawing, sculpting, music and woodworking. His most treasured role is as parent to three wonderful girls age 5 to 13.

Matthias received his MA and PhD in Psychology from York University. His dissertation examined the effects of bilingualism on dementia outcomes in older adults using a variety of novel experimental, analytical, and algorithmic learning methods. His previous work examined how bilinguals use their languages when faced with different cultural contexts.

Matthias is excited to use behavioural insights and his research expertise to address social and business problems such as systemic health inequities, policy decision-making, and how to promote healthier, more sustainable urban living.

Youval holds a PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on collective action, environmental behaviour, and cooperation. Prior to his graduate studies, Youval completed his BA in psychology from Columbia University in New York, and worked as a market research fellow at Aol. He is excited about finding creative solutions to real-world problems, collaborating with other passionate scientists, and communicating behavioural science to non-academic audiences.

Outside of research, Youval is a dedicated musician, and he also enjoys cooking, running, and learning new skills.

Since completing his PhD in social psychology at Ohio State University, Ian has held a position as postdoctoral fellow at University of Toronto. In both his doctoral and postdoctoral research, he has drawn on theories and techniques from psychology, economics, and neuroscience to examine how emotion, attention, and choice processes interact in both social (e.g., trust and altruism) and nonsocial (e.g., risk) contexts. Throughout his research, Ian has used a variety of methods, including computational modeling, eye-tracking, pupillometry, facial EMG, EEG, and fMRI.

Outside of all that, he has 3 cats and enjoys music, reading, food/drinks, and being active. Ian is excited about using insights from behavioral science to address complex and challenging real-world issues outside of the lab.

Julia holds a PhD in developmental psychology from the University of British Columbia, as well as a MASc in developmental and communication science and a BA in psychology and philosophy from the University of Waterloo. Prior to joining BEworks, Julia was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo where she studied moral reasoning.

Outside of work, she enjoys putting behavioural science principles into practice by teaching her dog (Bixby) new tricks

Mona is a cognitive scientist and holds a PhD and MA in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Waterloo, both supported by fellowships and scholarships from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada as well as the Government of Ontario. Prior to this, Mona obtained their BSc in Biopsychology from the University of British Columbia. Mona’s graduate research examined how the arrangement of physical environments influenced human cognition using wide-ranging tools and methodology, such as psychometrics, experiments, and observational studies. Aside from research methods, Mona has strong interest in statistics and has taught tutorials to undergraduate statistics classes as well as statistical workshops to fellow graduate students.

Mona is passionate about tackling real-world problems with creative methodology and rigorous analytics. When Mona is not occupied with research or data, they spend their free time picking up new skills, be it digital art, longboarding, or playing the drumkit.

Keegan has an MBA in Marketing from the University of Wales, UK and an M.Sc. in Finance from the Cranfield School of Management, UK. He also possesses a CIMA (ACMA, CGMA), CPA Canada and MRICS charter. He is a senior finance and strategy executive with over 15+ years of experience across 4 continents in corporate advisory and finance functions, with a prime focus on turnkey business operations and process improvement plans. He has successfully led over 70 projects and cross-functional teams, with budgets ranging from $10M to $1B, focusing on project management, risk mitigation and cost excellence programs.

Keegan has a passion for volunteering and currently serves as an advisor to the Board of Directors for two non-profits here in Canada. His hobbies include anything adrenaline-related and he is also an avid traveller.

Sydney has been part of the BEworks team since May 2019, having joined as an Administrative Specialist. She now applies her administrative and operations background as manager of our Project Management Office and satisfies her scientific curiosity by learning more about our projects and the behavioural science behind them. Sydney holds a BSc in Computer Engineering from University of Alberta.

Kristin is a results driven and passionate human resources professional. She holds a BA in Economics and International Studies, as well as a postgraduate certificate in Human Resources Management.

She is happy to be a part of the BEworks team and supporting the business as it propels forward. 

Steven is an accomplished, performance-driven, and solutions-oriented professional with over 5 years’ experience in finance, investment, and business development.

Prior to BEworks, he has 4 years’ experience in Singapore with VinaCapital where he managed its finance functions, executed outreach strategies, developed new products, and screened investment opportunities as an Associate.

He holds an MSc in Banking and International Finance from Cass Business School, England, and a BA (Hons) in Finance, Accounting, and Management from the University of Nottingham, England. Regarding his professional development, he completed the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) and Chartered Financial Analyst, Level I (CFA).

In his spare time, Steven goes swimming and plays soccer and badminton.

With over 20 years in the design field, Katrina has designed and implemented creative strategies and campaigns for many B2B and B2C industries. Katrina is fascinated with human behaviour and understands the importance of identifying the link between design and the end user experience.

Katrina loves learning and taking on new challenges, and has recently completed her diploma in Archaeology – a subject she is passionate about.

Fernando is a visual graphic designer and illustrator. His passion for design has allowed him to create successful campaigns and prize-winning products for over ten years. Collaborations he made with a major international soccer team, Brazil’s largest private bank and other businesses, have provided him with a valuable diverse environment to hone his critical thinking and problem-solving skills – key concepts he adopts to recognize and form relationships between ideas and reality.

Jovana is an interdisciplinary designer and illustrator from Toronto. With over a decade of experience in apparel, entertainment and non-profit sectors, her pursuit in finding solutions to problems and helping others drives her to design. She is the creator of LVL.Head, a non-profit service providing mental health resources and individual support to people in the gaming community. Jovana holds a BFA in Contemporary Art from OCAD University.

Joylin is a Marketing Specialist who has put her journalistic prowess and passion for storytelling into developing effective brand campaigns. With a background in communications, she has built seamless connections between strategy and creativity for globally renowned clients. She has designed both online and offline tactics for brands to heighten their image and expand their reach. By gaining exposure for clients in various publications such as Forbes, Mashable, Reuters, Bloomberg, The National, Gulf Business, Joylin has constantly made positive strides in her professional career.

Joylin is passionate about ideologies that are result-driven and content that creates a lasting impact.

Tania holds a master’s degree in International Economics and Finance from Ryerson University.

Prior to joining BEworks, Tania worked at Entertainment One Ltd where she specialized in analyzing sales data and overcoming operational challenges. She has experience in process mapping, process improvement, and all other aspects of project management.

Outside of work, Tania enjoys swimming, and practicing yoga.

Sophie holds a MA in economics from Boston University. Prior to joining BEworks, Sophie worked as a Retail Analyst at Nike where she conducted data analysis in retail store development. Sophie is passionate about using her analytical skills to solve various business problems and utilizing different data analytics tools to provide valuable insight. Sophie has a strong interest in behavioral economics and she is excited to explore behavioral science in greater depth at BEworks. Outside of work, Sophie enjoys swimming, playing table tennis and practicing yoga.

Amanda is a woman of many hats. She has spent much of her time in Toronto managing downtown cafes, as well as pursuing a side career as a fashion designer, and DJ.

With over a decade of experience, Amanda, has a track record of strong performance in high-volume and high-pressure environments.

She has a great ability to simplify processes, maximize efficiency, and foster professional relationships within organizations. She is committed to excellence in service and demonstrates exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills.

She has a passion for arts, culture, food and music and can often be found looking for the next new experience. In her down time, she enjoys hiking, camping, or diving into a good movie or TV series.

Catalina is a PhD Candidate in Experimental Psychology at McGill University where she researches shared reality and meaning in close relationships.

Prior to starting her PhD, Catalina received her Bachelor of Commerce at McGill University, half of which was completed at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In addition, she has worked in consulting, sales, and marketing at international companies in various cities across Canada and in Argentina.

Catalina is looking forward to applying her research skills at BEworks to solve real-world problems and initiate behavioural change on a macro level. Beyond her work, Catalina loves to spend time travelling, reading, running, and hiking.

Emily Zohar is a third year undergraduate student at Queen’s university majoring in Psychology and minoring in Mathematics. Emily’s specific areas of academic interest include social psychology, judgement and decision making and behavioral economics.

Emily’s recent professional experience includes working as a Content Analyst at Viafoura, a community management and content moderation company and a marketing intern at Babbly, an AI-powered platform to track baby’s speech and language development. Emily’s hobbies and interests include baking cakes and pastries for her roomates and family, completing 1,000+ piece jigsaw puzzles and solving the daily Wordle.

Emily is looking forward to applying her research experience and interest in behavioral economics at BEworks.

Gleb Poliakov is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, double majoring in Psychology and English. He loves nature and some of his hobbies include biking, running, and hiking.

This is his second consecutive summer at BEworks.

Van Tong is an MA candidate in Political Science at University of Toronto and holds a BA in Communication and Political Science from Simon Fraser University. Beside her fascination with topics in comparative political economy, specifically in macro prudential policies as well as development and labor studies, Van is passionate about data and the power of scientific methods.

In her free time, Van enjoys exploring new cuisines and conquering mountains!