Merve Akbas, PhD, is a behavioral economist and data-driven UX researcher whose work bridges rigorous experimentation and user-centered design. Before joining Morningstar as a Behavioral Scientist (2015–2016), Merve co‑authored influential research on retirement-plan leakage and 401(k) engagement—helping uncover the psychological drivers behind why participants cash out. At Morningstar, she led applied research into consumer financial behavior, translating insights into actionable business strategy.  Following her tenure there, Merve worked at Aliya Financial Technologies and Jet.com, blending behavioral science with product teams to design and evaluate digital experiences. Since 2019, she’s served as a Quantitative UX Researcher at Google, first within Google Ads and now focusing on Google Search.