Suzanne Shu

Biography

Suzanne B. Shu is the John S. Dyson Professor of Marketing at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management within the SC Johnson College of Business. The types of decisions analyzed in her research include consumer self-control problems and consumption timing issues, with important implications for both negative behaviors (such as procrastination) and positive behaviors (such as saving). Her work on financial decisions has focused specifically on decumulation during retirement (annuities, Social Security claiming) as well as on perceived fairness for financial products.

In the health domain, Shu has worked on grant-funded projects using behavioral economics to encourage hypertension medication adherence, reduce procrastination in mammogram screenings, increase adherence to weight loss programs, and promote colon cancer screenings.

Shu has taught marketing and decision making courses to MBA students at the University of Chicago, Southern Methodist University, INSEAD, and UCLA. She is also an NBER faculty research fellow, holds a joint faculty appointment at the UCLA Medical School, and has been a visiting scholar for several years at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Shu received a PhD from the University of Chicago; she also holds a BS in electrical engineering and masters in electrical engineering from Cornell University.

Education

PhD Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago, 2004
MBA Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago, 2003
MEng College of Engineering, Cornell University, 1992
BSEE College of Engineering, Cornell University, 1990

Research

• Greenberg, Adam; Hershfield, Hal; Shu, Suzanne; Spiller, Stephen. "What Motivates Social Security Claiming Age Intentions? Testing Behaviorally Informed Interventions Alongside Individual Differences"Journal of Marketing Research. 60.6 (2023): 1052-1070
• Chin, Alycia; Zimmerman, David; Johnson, Heidi; Shu, Suzanne. "Decisions about overdraft coverage: Disclosure design and personal finances"Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. 28.4 (2022): 746-774
• Sharif, Marissa; Shu, Suzanne. "Nudging Persistence after Failure through Emergency Reserves"Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 163 (2021): 17-29
• Shu, Suzanne; Shu, Stephen. "The Psychology of Decumulation Decisions During Retirement"Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 5.2 (2018): 216-223
• Shu, Suzanne; Zeithammer, Robert; Payne, John. "Consumer Preferences for Annuity Attributes: Beyond Net Present Value"Journal of Marketing Research. 53.2 (2016): 240-262
• Braden, Mogler; Shu, Suzanne; Fox, Craig; Goldstein, Noah; Victor, Ronald. "Using Insights From Behavioral Economics and Social Psychology to Help Patients Manage Chronic Diseases"Journal of General Internal Medicine. 28.5 (2013): 711-718
• Payne, John; Sagara, Namika; Shu, Suzanne; Appelt, Kirstin; Johnson, Eric. "Life expectancy as a constructed belief: Evidence of a live-to or die-by framing effect"Journal of Risk and Uncertainty. 46 (2013): 27-50
• Johnson, Eric; Shu, Suzanne; Dellaert, Benedict; Fox, Craig; Goldstein, Daniel. "Beyond nudges: Tools of a choice architecture"Marketing Letters. 23 (2012): 487-504
• Shu, Suzanne; Gneezy, Ayelet. "Procrastination of Enjoyable Experiences"Journal of Marketing Research. 47.5 (2010): 933–944
• Peck, Joann; Shu, Suzanne. "The Effect of Mere Touch on Perceived Ownership"Journal of Consumer Research. 36 (2009): 434-447

Awards

• UCLA Anderson Dean's Prize (2017) University of California, Los Angeles