Eric Hekler

Biography

Dr. Eric Hekler, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion at Arizona State University and directs the  Designing Health Lab  @ASU. His research focuses on facilitating individualized and “precise” behavior change for fostering long-term health and well-being.  For example, his NSF-funded work is focused on developing mathematical models for guiding an intervention that determines an individualized “ambitious but doable” daily step goal to strive for each day. The long-term goal to develop a comprehensive intervention that provides the right type of support for physical activity only when it is needed. Dr. Hekler’s Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant is focused on developing a methodology for the more rapid collective development of technology-delivered behavior change strategies, a process he has labeled Agile Science . His Google-funded work is focused on teaching individuals fundamentals of behavior change and self-experimentation and giving them tools (e.g., home sensors and feedback) to allow them to self-experiment with behavior change techniques to optimize their health. Prior to ASU, Dr. Hekler completed his postdoctoral training at Stanford University and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology from Rutgers University.