Michael Sobolev

Michael Sobolev, PhD, is a behavioral scientist with expertise in technology, behavior change, and health.

Research interests include behavioral design of technology, behavior change and digital nudging, mobile health (mHealth), and behavioral data science.

Behavioral Scientist @ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a Visiting Scholar @ USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, I established and currently lead the Behavioral Design Unit @ Cedars Sinai, dedicated to improving healthcare and health outcomes with behavioral science and innovative technology. I also currently serve as an associate editor of JMIR mHealth and uHealth.

Previously a Postdoctoral Fellow and a Lecturer in Computer and Information Science at Cornell Tech (2017-2021) and a Postdoctoral Fellow in Health Technology and Digital Innovation at Northwell Health (2019-2021) in New York City.

PhD in Behavioral Science from the Faculty of Data and Decision Science (formerly Industrial Engineering and Management) of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. MSc in Business and Organizational Behavior from Tel Aviv University.

You can also find me on twitter, Linkedin and Scholar. Email me at michael [dot] sobolev [at] cornell [dot] edu.

The secret to happiness is low expectations and a good cup of coffee.

Recent News

Our research on digital strategies to reduce screen has been featured in Mel Robbin's podcast episode "How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over"
Attended the Behavioral Public Policy conference in Cambridge, UK and presented on "Patient Preference and Choice in Clinical Trials" at the Behavioral Transformations workshop at the London School of Economics.
In 2023, I became an associate editor of JMIR mHealth and uHealth (IF 5.4). Submit your best papers on mobile and tablet apps, ubiquitous and pervasive computing, and wearable computing for health.
Our research on Digital Nudges for Screen Time Reduction was featured in a New York Times article "I Was Addicted to My Smartphone, So I Switched to a Flip Phone for a Month" by Kashmir Hill. It was also previously featured in a Wall Street Journal article "Reduce Your Screen Time With This Simple Trick" by Emily Holland.
Presented my research and applied work on "Design for Engagement" as part of the HITLAB Innovators Summit in Columbia University in New York City.
Presented our work on "Active Choice and Patient Preferences in Clinical Trials" at the 2023 Advances with Field Experiments (AFE) Conference at the University of Chicago, Sep 21-22, 2023 and at the 2023 Nudges in Health Care Symposium at the University of Pennsylvania, Sep 14-15.
Presented our work on "Online Choice Architecture" at the 2nd International Behavioral Public Policy Conference at Duke University. Previous and at the Behavioral Science and Public Policy (BSPA) conference.
Presented my work on "Digital Nudging: Using Technology to Nudge for Good" at the The Design Lab @ UCSD.
Presented at the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) annual conference on "Time-varying Model of Engagement".
Delivered a keynote lecture on "Digital Nudging: Personalization and Optimization" at the 2022 IEEE ICDM workshop on AI for Nudging and Personalization.
My work on "Behavioral Science in the Wild: The Digital Nudge" was featured at the Rotman Management Magazine

Selected Publications

Sleboda, P., Sobolev, M., Muench, F., Salvy, S., Datta, G. &. (2025). Self-Control, Food Choices, and Daily Affective Well-being: An Experience Sampling Study. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 10.1007/s10865-025-00549-y
Sobolev, M., & Sleboda, P. (2023). Behavioral Design to Prevent Diagnostic Delays and Errors. Health Affairs Forefront. 10.1377/forefront.20230620.440319
Sobolev, M. (2022). Digital Nudging: Using Technology to Nudge for Good. Chapter for the Behavioral Science in the Wild by Nina Mazar & Dilip Soman. University of Toronto Press. 10.2139/ssrn.3889831
Zimmermann, L., & Sobolev, M. (2022). Digital Nudges for Screen Time Reduction: A Randomized Control Trial with Performance and Wellbeing Outcomes. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 10.1089/cyber.2022.0027
Militello, L.*, Sobolev, M.*, Okeke, F., Adler, D., Nahum-Shani, I. (2022). Digital Prompts to Increase Engagement with Headspace App and Stress Regulation among Parents: Feasibility Study. JMIR Formative Research 10.2196/30606
Sobolev, M., Vitale, R., Wen, H., Kizer, J., Leeman, R., Pollak, J.P., Baumel, A., Vadhan, N.P., Estrin, D. & Muench, F. (2021). The Digital Marshmallow Test (DMT) Diagnostic and Monitoring Mobile Health App for Impulsive Behavior: Development and Validation Study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 10.2196/25018

Research Focus

Digital Nudging

Behavior Change

Health Technology

Digital Wellbeing

Current Clinical Trials

QuitChoice: Preferences and Choice of Digital Intervention for Smoking Cessation (Pending; PI: Sobolev)
Walk and Play: Cognitive Training Through Gaming and Walking (NCT04638413, PI: Salvy)
CHOICE: Choosing to Avoid or Resist (NCT06521021, PI: Salvy)
Avoid and Resist Strategies for Weight Management (NCT06521021, PI: Salvy)
Gain and Loss Framed Text Messaging to Reduce Drinking Among Older Adults (NCT06126107, PI: Kuerbis)
Evaluating the Effect of a Mobile Audio Companion (Elly) to Reduce Anxiety in Cancer Patients (NCT04604158, PI: Gresham)
Feasibility, Adoption and Efficacy of A Virtual Reality Smoking Cessation Program for Patients Undergoing Lung Cancer Screening (NCT06021652, PI: Ghandehari)

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse