Michael Sobolev

About me

Michael Sobolev is a behavioral scientist with a focus on 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 in Los Angeles, California and a Visiting Scholar @ USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics.

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

PhD in Behavioral Science from the Technion - Israeli 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

Presented at the Behavioral Science and Public Policy (BSPA) conference on Online Choice Architecture (OCA) in the financial wellbeing session. Check out the paper here: 10.2139/ssrn.4241296
Presented at the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) annual conference on "Time-varying Model of Engagement". Check out the paper here: 10.3389/fdgth.2023.1144081
Delivered a keynote lecture on "Digital Nudging: Personalization and Optimization" at the IEEE ICDM workshop on AI for Nudging and Personalization.
A new thought article on "Online Choice Architecture" published at TechReg Chronicle. Also available on SSRN.
My work on "Behavioral Science in the Wild: The Digital Nudge" was featured at the Rotman Management Magazine

Selected Publications:

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
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
Sobolev, M., & Lesic, V. (2022). Online Choice Architecture: The Good, the Bad, and the Complicated. TechREG Chronicle. Available at 10.2139/ssrn.4241296
Guinart, D., Sobolev, M., Patil, B., Walsh, M., & Kane, J. (2022). A Digital Intervention Using Daily Financial Incentives to Increase Medication Adherence in Severe Mental Illness: A Pilot and Feasibility Study. Forthcoming at JMIR Mental Health jmir.org/preprint/37184
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., Okeke, F., & Plonsky, O. (2023). mRAPID Study: Effect of Micro-incentives and Daily Deadlines on Practice Behavior. International Conference on Persuasive Technologies (PERSUASIVE 2023). 10.1007/978-3-031-30933-5_5
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