Recently the BHP team played host to Sir John Monash scholar, David Smerdon, a lecturer at the University of Queensland's School of Economics. He spoke with our Head of Inclusion and Diversity and Workforce Transition, Fiona Vines, about how a combination of data experiments and behavioural economics can help find and interrupt bias. Watch an excerpt from the interview below.

David’s research focusses on the application of behavioural and development economics. A major stream of David's research is about the effect of social norms and what can be done to implement behavioural change, with a diverse range of applications such as female circumcision in Somalia, refugee integration in rural Australia, and the gender gap in STEM.

David earned his PhD from the Tinbergen Institute and the University of Amsterdam, supported by a General Sir John Monash postgraduate award. BHP
BHP supports the Sir John Monash Foundation, with an annual investment of AUD$240k.

The General Sir John Monash Foundation was established in 2001. Its purpose is to raise funds for, and to administer, Australia's own postgraduate scholarships - the John Monash Scholarships - to foster leadership, expertise and international networks, as well as build Australia's capabilities for the future.


watch the video on
https://www.bhp.com/news/articles/2022/03/bhp-sir-john-monash-foundation-scholar-david-smerdon-on-behavioural-economics-interrupting-bias