Scholars Who Made the Small Questions Matter
Graduates of the University of Sagacity pursue careers as unconventional as their research. From academia to industry, from policy to technology, our alumni carry forward the conviction that no question is too small—and often, the smallest questions yield the largest insights.
"Sagacity taught me that no question is too small. My advisor once told me that the person pressing an already-lit elevator button knows it won't help—and that's precisely what makes it interesting. That perspective changed my entire approach to research."
"Before Sagacity, I was a frustrated economist trying to model human behavior with rational assumptions. Here, I learned that understanding why 'five more minutes' is never five minutes tells us more about human nature than any utility function ever could."
"My dissertation on airplane armrest negotiations was rejected by three traditional programs before I found Sagacity. Now it's assigned reading in behavioral economics courses worldwide. The university gave me permission to study what I actually found fascinating."
"Corporate recruiters were skeptical of my Sagacity degree until I explained my research. Now I lead a team studying why people feel shame about their inbox. Turns out, the questions others dismiss are exactly what industry needs answered."
"Traditional linguistics programs wanted me to study grammar. I wanted to study why we say 'anyway...' when we want a conversation to end. Sagacity was the only place that took that question seriously. Ten years later, I'm still finding new off-ramps to categorize."
"My postdoctoral work at Sagacity fundamentally changed how I think about human decision-making. The frustration point where someone gives up on a package isn't random—it follows predictable patterns that apply to everything from policy adoption to technology abandonment. Sagacity taught me to see the universal in the mundane."
Ph.D. '09
MacArthur Fellow 2023
Recognized for pioneering work on 'ambient decision-making'—the choices humans make without conscious deliberation.
M.A. '14
Head of Behavioral Research, IKEA
Transformed how the world's largest furniture retailer understands customer navigation patterns and impulse purchases.
Ph.D. '12
Author, 'The Small Questions' (NYT Bestseller)
Her popular science book on overlooked phenomena brought our methodology to mainstream audiences.
The Sagacity alumni network, while modest in size compared to larger institutions, is remarkably tight-knit. Our graduates share an unusual bond: the experience of having their research interests finally taken seriously.
Each October, alumni return to campus (location disclosed upon registration) for three days of presentations, workshops, and what we call "structured people-watching" sessions in the surrounding area.
Alumni are paired with current students studying related phenomena. Many of our most successful research collaborations began as mentorship relationships that revealed unexpected connections between disparate inquiries.
Our career services office maintains relationships with employers who have learned to value Sagacity graduates—organizations that have discovered, often by accident, that our alumni see things others miss.
Sagacity alumni work across sectors, though certain fields have proven particularly receptive to graduates who specialize in noticing what others overlook:
Faculty positions at research universities, often in departments that didn't exist when they enrolled.
User research, behavioral design, and "human factors" roles at companies building products for real humans.
Advising organizations on customer behavior, workplace dynamics, and other "soft" problems with hard consequences.
Think tanks, government agencies, and NGOs seeking insights into why policies succeed or fail in practice.
Journalists, authors, entrepreneurs, and at least one successful podcast host covering "the weird side of normal."
Alumni wishing to update their contact information, volunteer for mentorship, or share career milestones may reach the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@sagacity.edu. Response times vary; we are currently studying optimal institutional communication cadences and your patience contributes to science.