As a Ph.D. candidate at the Computational Science Lab, Isaak Mengesha’s work intersects several fields of study, including economics, physics, and computer science. These fields intersect yet remain distinct. He is motivated by the goal of improving methodologies that provide guidance for policy-making and economic development, specifically in the context of development, global poverty, and collective decision-making.

Starting from an interest in complex systems within biology, which led him to study physics and molecular modeling techniques, Isaak expanded his skills in generating and interpreting models. He then observed that such approaches are underutilized in the social sciences, particularly in understanding the emergence of cooperation and policy processes.

His current research focuses on three key questions: methodologies that allow for the effective aggregation of information from various sources into one consistent model, identifying the appropriate scales for analyzing economic development, and understanding the conditions that lead to coordination failure in social systems.