West Coast Neuroecon

The West Coast Neuroeconomics Symposium brings together decision scientists from across the West Coast and beyond. Join us for a day of cutting-edge research, collaboration, and discussion on the mechanisms underlying decision-making.

Keynote Speaker

Prof. Christian Ruff, PhD

University of Zurich | Professor of Neuroeconomics and Decision Neuroscience

Prof. Ruff’s research focuses on human motivation, decision-making, and learning, combining behavioral experiments and computational modeling with neuroimaging and brain stimulation.

Faculty Profile | Google Scholar

Featured Speakers

Ming Hsu

Nina Rouhani

Ian Ballard

Kate Wassum

Leor Hackel

Uma R. Karmarkar

Cary Frydman

John A. Clithero

Dan Schley

Program — Friday, May 1

Time	Session
10:00 - 10:25 AM	Ming Hsu — Open-ended decision making: Because life is not a multiple choice test
10:25 - 10:50 AM	Nina Rouhani — Features and dynamics of social inference in real-world interactions
10:50 - 11:15 AM	Ian Ballard — Cue-Driven Disruption of Goal-Directed Behavior by Social Media Habits
11:15 - 11:45 AM	Coffee Break
11:45 - 12:10 PM	Kate Wassum — Brain mechanisms of reward learning and decision making
12:10 - 12:35 PM	Leor Hackel — Learning Who Values Us: Neural Computations Linking Social Feedback to Affiliation
12:35 - 1:35 PM	Lunch
1:35 - 2:20 PM	Plenary: Christian Ruff — Neurocomputational Underpinnings of Altered Mentalization in Autism
2:20 - 2:45 PM	Uma R. Karmarkar — More Paths to Unlikelihood: When knowing More Creates the Perception of Less
2:45 - 3:15 PM	Coffee Break
3:15 - 3:40 PM	Cary Frydman — Valuation by Default
3:40 - 4:05 PM	John A. Clithero — Knowledge Diffusion of Psychology and Neuroscience in Consumer Research
4:05 - 4:30 PM	Dan Schley — Perceiving Before Choosing: A Domain-General Model of Bounded Rationality
4:30 - 4:45 PM	Closing Remarks
6:00 PM	Dinner (invitation only)

Venue

Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center — Laureate Room

425 Westwood Plaza, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Luskin Conference Center Website

Getting There: Fly into LAX (13 miles) or Burbank (20 miles). UCLA is accessible via I-405 (exit Wilshire or Sunset Blvd).

Accommodations: The Luskin Conference Center has 254 guest rooms on-site. Additional hotels available in Westwood Village and Santa Monica.

Registration

Registration is now closed.

Thank you to everyone who registered — we’re looking forward to seeing you on May 1!

If you have questions about your registration, please contact us at wcneuroecon@gmail.com.

Organizers

Ian Krajbich

UCLA | Lab Website

Kianté Fernandez

UCLA | CV

West Coast Neuroecon 2026

Annual Symposium