Natalia I. Valdez Gonzalez
Behavioral Economist
Deptartment of Economics
Universitat de Barcelona
Avinguda Diagonal 696
08034 Barcelona
Howdy! I am an applied economist who uses experiments to study human behavior. My research is focused around social preferences, incentives, and their implications in health behaviors and policy.
I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Economics at the Universitat de Barcelona and a member of the Barcelona Economic Analysis Team. I received my PhD in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University. Please do not hesitate to reach out!
CV
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Research Interests
- Behavioral & Experimental Economics
- Food Economics
- Policy
Professional Experience
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Economics, Universitat de Barcelona. September 2023 – Present.
- Visiting Lecturer, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee Knoxville. January 2023 – May 2023.
- Lab Manager at the Human Behavior Lab, Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University. September 2018 – May 2023.
- Graduate Assistant Researcher, Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University. September 2016 – December 2022.
- Research Associate at the Center on Conflict and Development, Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University. September 2014 – September 2016.
- Economist Intern, Office of Economics, United States International Trade Commission. June 2013 – August 2013.
Education
-
Ph.D., Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University, 2023
Chair: Marco A. Palma - M.I.A., International Development and Economic Policy, Texas A&M University, 2014
- B.A., Economics and French, Texas A&M University, 2012
Research
Working Papers
- Valdez Gonzalez, N.I., Brown, A.L., and M.A. Palma. “Social stigma and subsequent competitive behavior.” [link] Under Review
- Liu, H., He, Y., Valdez Gonzalez, N.I., Choubey, A., Li, Y., Meng, Y., Liu, H.,Tu, L., Zhang, N., Yin, N., Conde, K.M., Wang, M., Bean, J.C., Han, J., Yan, Z.,Scarcelli, N.A., Sidell Potts, C.H., Yang, Y., Tong, Q., Sun, Z., Wang, C., Cai, X., Lu, L., Zhu, C., Shu, G., Qu, N., Palma, M.A., and Y. Xu. 2022. “A retina-originated neural circuit transmits light signals to suppress feeding.” Under Review
Publications
Peer-Reviewed
- Valdez Gonzalez, N.I., Kee, J.Y., Palma, M.A., and J.R. Pruitt. 2024. "The Relationship between Monetary Incentives, Status, and Physical Activity." [link] Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 108, 102155.
Other Articles
- Kibriya, S., Tkach, B., Ahn, J., Valdez Gonzalez, N., Xu, Z., & Y. Zhang. 2016. “The Effects of School-Related Gender-Based Violence on Academic Performance: Evidence from Botswana, Ghana, and South Africa.” USAID.
Works in Progress
- “Effect of light on food consumption and preferences”
- "Transparency as a tool for increasing productivity”
- "Competition and a theory of mind”
