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Join the Financial Intelligence for Consumer Well-being Lab (FinE Lab) and help advance research that improves everyday financial lives.

At the Financial Intelligence for Consumer Well-being Lab (FinE Lab), we study how money, emotions, health, and technology interact in people’s everyday lives. Our projects span topics such as financial risk tolerance, financial stress, financial therapy, and the use of AI and data science to support consumer well-being. There are several ways for students, researchers, and industry partners to get involved with our work.

Opportunities for Students

Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate students interested in personal finance, consumer science, money-related psychology, data science, or related areas are invited to apply to work with FinELab. Undergraduate research assistants may:

  • Support ongoing projects on financial stress, financial risk tolerance, and financial therapy
  • Help design and administer surveys and experiments
  • Assist with data cleaning, basic statistics, and literature reviews
  • Learn how research connects to real-world financial planning and consumer well-being

Paid positions are very limited and depend on available funding. Therefore, opportunities are primarily on a voluntary basis through independent research courses. Or for students in the Honors College are engaged with FinE lab through Honors research.

Graduate Students
Graduate students in Consumer Science and related programs can join FinELab as research assistants or collaborators. Graduate students typically:

  • Take leading roles in designing studies and managing data
  • Work with advanced methods such as time-series analysis, machine learning, and experimental design
  • Present findings at academic and professional conferences
  • Develop publishable manuscripts and build a strong research portfolio

If you are a current or prospective graduate student interested in working with FinELab, please contact Dr. Wookjae Heo (heo28@purdue.edu) to discuss potential opportunities.

Collaborations with Practitioners and Community Partners

FinELab actively collaborates with financial planners, financial therapy professionals, non-profit organizations, FinTech firms, and community partners. Through these partnerships, we aim to:

  • Co-develop tools and interventions that support clients’ financial and emotional well-being
  • Design and test algorithms and data-driven models that can be implemented in FinTech and financial services settings
  • Evaluate programs and services using rigorous research methods
  • Translate research findings into practical insights for practitioners and policymakers

If your organization is interested in collaborating with FinELab on research, algorithm and tool development, program evaluation, or educational initiatives, please reach out to Dr. Wookjae Heo (heo28@purdue.edu).

Participate in Our Research

FinELab conducts surveys, experiments, and interviews with consumers, students, and professionals. Participation in our studies helps us better understand how people make financial decisions and how to design interventions that truly help.

Support the Lab

Support from partners and donors helps FinELab:

  • Offer research opportunities to students
  • Collect high-quality data and develop new tools
  • Share findings with communities, practitioners, and policymakers

If you are interested in supporting FinELab financially or through in-kind collaboration, please contact Dr. Wookjae Heo (heo28@purdue.edu), and we will connect you with the appropriate Purdue University development office.