DJ Thornton

I study how human cognition and social networks shape economic behavior. I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Manos Institute for Cognitive Economics at UNSW Sydney, where we are pioneering work on the limits of human computational capacity and the individual reasoning process. My PhD research was on the economic theory of social networks, with a focus on situations in which their effects are harmful.

I completed my undergraduate degrees in Pure Math (with Honours) and Commerce. My 2019 honours thesis was on the theory of the giant component and information cascades in random graphs.

I have an extensive teaching record and was the youngest lecturer for the faculty of Economics at UNSW at age 23. Since 2018 I have lectured 14 courses and tutored 20 more, covering topics including economic theory, economic history, applied microeconomics, and econometrics.

Outside of academia, I love music, philosophy, coffee, and most importantly spending time with my family. My wife and I also run a paediatric occupational therapy clinic. You can find some photos of my family here.