Marjan is a PhD Candidate in Environmental Economics at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He holds an MSc in Applied Economics with a specialisation in Economic Policy from Utrecht University, where he developed a strong grounding in econometrics, behavioural economics, and evidence-based policy design.

During his master’s studies, he worked on applied research projects ranging from labour market challenges in the Netherlands to behavioural policy interventions and Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) designs for improving youth well-being through the Global Challenges Programme.

His doctoral research focuses on understanding and shaping household investment decisions in the energy-efficiency domain. As part of the NWO-funded ALIGN4Energy project, Marjan studies how behavioural biases influence citizens’ preferences for home energy-efficiency improvements. He combines advanced discrete choice modelling techniques with machine-learning-based segmentation methods to identify behavioural personas and uncover systematic heterogeneity in household decision-making.

Building on these insights, he works on designing and testing targeted behavioural interventions that can be deployed through digital citizen-engagement platforms. His research integrates econometric modelling, clustering algorithms, and experimental methods to evaluate how tailored information, nudges, and personalised energy advice can encourage system-optimal clean-energy investments at scale.

Across his work, Marjan aims to bridge behavioural insights, data-driven methods, and practical policy design to support a more effective and citizen-centred energy transition.