Experience is everything. 

Just ask Dr. Nathaniel Burke, former student-athlete, U.S. Army veteran, associate professor of economics and director of the Behavioral Economics Situational Testing (BEAST) Lab. 

Burke’s personal and professional journey has been nothing short of an adventure. From his time in the Army to his current role in higher education, he applies his real-world experience to create opportunities for the next generation of students at Chambers College.

Through the BEAST Lab, Burke is advancing the field of behavioral economics and providing students with invaluable opportunities to learn, grow and thrive.

From the beginning – what led you to the Chambers College?

A: I'm a first-gen college kid. No one in my family had gone to college before me, so a lot of my journey was just kind of stumbling forward. There was no plan to become a professor.

I went to college on an athletic scholarship with a plan to be a high school history teacher. Somewhere in there, I decided to switch to an econ major, and after I graduated from undergrad, I enlisted in the Army because I didn't know what to do with my life.

While in the army, I ended up being stationed in Alaska, where I did my master's degree. After I got my master's, it was suggested that I do my Ph.D. I ended up being pretty good at the teaching thing and really enjoyed research.

And then one day, Joshua Hall [the Milan Puskar Dean of the Chambers College] reached out to discuss my research. Long story short, I’m now working as an assistant professor of economics and as the director of the BEAST lab.

How did your perspective on success evolve after you reached college?

A: People’s goals usually reflect their environment. Growing up, my parents really pushed education. Even though we were a low-income household, we never skimped out on school supplies. Little things like that sent a really strong signal.

At 17 years old, I was very short sighted. I thought that just going to college was the peak for someone from my background. But you can't climb the highest peak if you've never seen it.

How did your time in the Army impact your professional outlook?

A: In the Army, I served as a human intelligence source operator, a role that shared many similarities with behavioral economics. I spent a lot of time trying to understand people's motivations and use those motivations to get information, which is a lot of what I do now as an experimental behaviorist.

It was a big switch, going from the military culture to the academic culture. However, the simple things, like team development and communication, are all skills I learned in the military that have helped me when I’m running the BEAST Lab.

Speaking of the BEAST Lab, can you share how it came to be and how it evolved under your leadership?

A: During my time at WVU, starting the BEAST Lab has been my proudest accomplishment.

Unlike other institutions, the BEAST Lab is open to undergraduates and is student-run. We give the undergrads real responsibility – they help maintain the participant portal, manage money, come up with research projects and go to a variety of conferences.

In the lab we do experiments on identity so that we can have a better understanding, when we make policy recommendations, of how they’re going to impact different people from different backgrounds. Currently, we’re working on labor projects with the Knee Center, studying how regulations affect labor productivity and incentives to evade labor laws. 

We also are working to develop the College Access Initiative, which will help mentor high schoolers in Appalachia with the college application process.

You have a lot on your plate. What motivates you?

A: I’m a behaviorist, and a lot of my work focuses on policy, meaning I get to directly see the impact of helping people.

A lot of the behavioral experiments I build are just based off my own experience. I do a lot of what we call group identity experiments, where we look at how someone's background and identity impact their decision-making process.

Part of my identity is that I am a Black, Puerto Rican kid from New York, so I act in certain ways that signal that identity. And because of my identity, I get to tell my story through research to help people who come from similar backgrounds as me.

What made you realize your “peak” was higher than you thought?

A: No one ever talks about what's next after the college degree. I think it's usually where we see a lot of those peaks, because a lot of people don't realize that after college you can get a master's, you can get a Ph.D., you can go into a trade, you can start a business.

You have so many different options, but you need someone to show it to you, which is exactly what we think we do at the Chambers College.

What do you tell first-gen students who, like yourself, are unsure of their “peak”?

A: Seek out first-gen faculty. We've been there.

At the Chambers College, there is a diverse background amongst our faculty for such a large university.

We're here to help. I'm here to help.

And if any undergrads have questions, or they're interested in a career in academia or public service, I'd love to work with them and know my colleagues would as well.