Research & Publications Office to host seminar on ‘Space Exploration’ on 12 February
The talk will be delivered by Prof. Suraj Malladi, Northwestern University
2 February, 2026, Bengaluru: The Office of Research and Publications (R&P) will host a seminar on, ‘Space Exploration’, to be led by Prof. Suraj Malladi, Northwestern University (Economics area), at 4 pm on 12th February 2026, in Classroom K-21.
Abstract: The researchers study search in settings where similar options yield similar payoffs. They develop a rational model of directed search with learning, where payoffs follow a random walk with bounded steps, and derive a partial characterization of optimal search for an otherwise intractable dynamic problem. They then test these predictions in a controlled experiment that conveys correlations to participants in a simple way. Participants largely behave in line with the model, adjusting their search behavior with the strength and pattern of correlations. These results challenge the standard assumption of uncorrelated payoffs in search models used in empirical work.
Speaker Profile: Suraj Malladi is an Assistant Professor in Managerial Economics and Decisions Sciences at Kellogg School of Management. He works on spatial search, learning and networks. His recent work has been published in American Economic Review.
Webpage Link: https://sites.google.com/view/surajm/home?authuser=1
Research & Publications Office to host seminar on ‘Space Exploration’ on 12 February
The talk will be delivered by Prof. Suraj Malladi, Northwestern University
2 February, 2026, Bengaluru: The Office of Research and Publications (R&P) will host a seminar on, ‘Space Exploration’, to be led by Prof. Suraj Malladi, Northwestern University (Economics area), at 4 pm on 12th February 2026, in Classroom K-21.
Abstract: The researchers study search in settings where similar options yield similar payoffs. They develop a rational model of directed search with learning, where payoffs follow a random walk with bounded steps, and derive a partial characterization of optimal search for an otherwise intractable dynamic problem. They then test these predictions in a controlled experiment that conveys correlations to participants in a simple way. Participants largely behave in line with the model, adjusting their search behavior with the strength and pattern of correlations. These results challenge the standard assumption of uncorrelated payoffs in search models used in empirical work.
Speaker Profile: Suraj Malladi is an Assistant Professor in Managerial Economics and Decisions Sciences at Kellogg School of Management. He works on spatial search, learning and networks. His recent work has been published in American Economic Review.
Webpage Link: https://sites.google.com/view/surajm/home?authuser=1
