Monic Sun
Associate Professor, Marketing
Monic Sun studies human experience through empirical data, physiological measurement, and contemplative inquiry. Her work focuses on modeling and measuring the real-time dynamics of experiential states, including regulation, reactivity, and well-being.
Her earlier research used game theory, causal inference, and experiments to examine how incentives and information structures shape behavior across domains such as disclosure, social influence, targeting, and sustainability, often producing counterintuitive outcomes.
She now integrates multi-modal physiological measurement with real-world behavioral observation to build reproducible frameworks for understanding state transitions and adaptive regulation. Her research has been published in leading journals and featured by outlets including the BBC, Forbes, and NPR. She received her B.A. in Economics from Peking University and her Ph.D. in Economics from Boston University.
Education
PhD, Boston University, 2008
MA, Boston University, 2006
BA, Peking University, 2003
Publications
Tony, K., Sun, M., Jiang, B. (2024). “Peer-to-Peer Markets with Bilateral Ratings”, Marketing Science, 43 (5), 1081-1101
Weingarten, E., Duke, K., Liu, W., Hamilton, R., Amir, O., Appel, G., Cerf, M., Goodman, J., Morales, A., O’Brien, E., Quoidbach, J., Sun, M. (2023). “What Makes People Happy? Decoupling the Experiential-Material Continuum”, Journal of Consumer Psychology
Sun, M., Tyagi, R. (2020). “Product Fit Uncertainty and Information Provision in a Distribution Channel”, Production and Operations Management, 29 (10), 2381-2402
Sun, M., Zhang, X., Zhu, F. (2019). “U-Shaped Conformity in Online Social Networks”, Marketing Science, 38 (3), 461-480
Chen, Y., Li, X., Sun, M. (2017). “Competitive Mobile Geo Targeting”, Marketing Science, 36 (5), 666-682
Sun, M., Trudel, R. (2017). “The Effect of Recycling Versus Trashing on Consumption: Theory and Experimental Evidence”, Journal of Marketing Research, 54 (2), 293-305
Branco, F., Sun, M., Villas-Boas, J. (2016). “Too Much Information? Information Provision and Search Costs”, Marketing Science, 35 (4), 605-618
Sun, M., Zhu, F. (2013). “Ad Revenue and Content Commercialization: Evidence from Blogs”, Management Science, 59 (10), 2314-2331
Branco, F., Sun, M., Villas-Boas, J. (2012). “Optimal Search for Product Information”, Management Science, 58 (11), 2037-2056
Liu, T., Sun, M. (2012). “Informal Payments in Developing Countries’ Public Health Sectors”, Pacific Economic Review, 17 (4), 514-524
Thomadsen, R., Zeithammer, R., Iyer, G., Mayzlin, D., Orhun, Y., Pazgal, A., Purohit, D., Rao, R., Riordan, M., Shin, J., Sun, M., Villas-Boas, M. (2012). “A Reflection on Analytical Work in Marketing: Three Points of Consensus”, Marketing Letters, 23 (2), 381-389
Sun, M. (2012). “How Does the Variance of Product Ratings Matter?”, Management Science, 58 (4), 696-707
Sun, M. (2011). “Disclosing Multiple Product Attributes”, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 20 (1), 195-224