The Behavioral Insights and Parenting (BIP) Lab studies the parental investments that promote children's success and how behavioral tools can leverage these investments to increase their return. The BIP Lab was founded by professor Ariel Kalil and professor and former Chicago Harris dean Susan Mayer as the research hub of the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy (CHPPP). It was created under the premise that behaviorally informed tools may be a “low-cost, light-touch” way to support optimal parent engagement in child development, particularly in economically disadvantaged households. The efficacy of such tools may lend unique importance to the work of the lab, among the first of its kind at any university in the United States, as it strives to advance knowledge for improving the lives of children around the world.

With the help of several partnerships, the lab currently researches the application of behavioral tools in several aspects of parent behavior, from reading to their children to engaging in stress-reduction activities – placing emphases on rapid cycle evaluation, iterative learning, and the design of scalable and practical interventions. It also trains a handful of fellows and a team of PhD students who are interested in furthering the mission of the lab post-graduation, along with graduate and undergraduate-level research assistants.

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