Group members
Morris Krainz
External PhD student
Consumer Decision and Sustainable Behavior Lab, University of Geneva
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Morris joined the Consumer Decision and Sustainable Behavior Lab at the University of Geneva as a PhD candidate in May 2023. The aim of his PhD research project is to understand how and why public preference and acceptance of technologies and infrastructures concerning flexibility and sector coupling evolve in response to information and over time. Under the supervision of Prof. Tobias Brosch of the Consumer Decision and Sustainable Behaviour Lab and Prof. Evelina Trutnevyte of the Renewable Energy Systems Group, his research focuses on refining the methodology of informed citizen panels to help citizens better understand these technologies and the required infrastructure. Ultimately, the project seeks to identify key barriers and facilitators to increase public acceptability of flexibility and sector coupling.
Morris obtained his master’s degree in psychology at the University of Vienna, with a specialization on cognitive psychology and neuroscience. In his thesis, he investigated the analgesic effect of visual art on the objective and subjective experience of pain. Additionally, while studying, he worked as a student research assistant at the Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit and the Environmental Psychology Group in Vienna.
After receiving his degree, Morris worked as a research assistant in the Environmental Psychology Group and as a lecturer for the Department of Cognition, Emotion and Methods in Psychology. In the former role, he worked on projects regarding the use of anthropomorphism as a gateway to biodiversity conservation, perceptions of biodegradable plastics in the UK and the effect of blue spaces on mental and physical health, while in the latter role he taught introductory courses on social and affective neuroscience, a research seminar on anthropomorphism and meat consumption and supervised bachelor’s theses on the association of empathy and pro-environmental behaviors.
In his free time, you will most likely find Morris chasing after a football, going for a run or a hike or relaxing at the lake after he has exhausted himself doing any of the former activities.