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Q

&A

Why is it such a great time to be a cognitive scientist right

now?

More than ever, people are talking about how the brain

works, and everyone wants to understand how to change be-

haviour. As a result, the inner workings of the brain are no

longer the purview of those trained in Neuroscience. Terms

that were once considered esoteric, like amygdala and

prefrontal cortex have become as commonplace as inflation

and sustainability. Put simply, cognitive science has become

accessible.

This is a beautiful moment in time where the bridge

between academia and the private sector is stronger than

ever — where we can translate a theoretical understanding

of the nuances of human behaviour into implementable

solutions that influence how our society operates. As a sci-

entist, it doesn’t get any better than that.

PwC has its own Behavioural Science practice. Why is

the firm investing in this, and what is your role?

As a firm, PwC fosters a culture of collaborative ideation

and celebrates collective diversity of thought. It is with this

mindset that the firm was able to see and nurture the natural

alignment between cognitive neuroscience, psychology and

social influence with the traditional consulting toolkit. We

are now systematically incorporating behavioural science

into the way we both understand and solve our clients’

most important problems.

I joined the firm with a mandate to build and lead the

practice, and almost three years later, I am happy to report

that the PwC Behavioural Insights team has trusted clients

across the banking, insurance, utilities, retail, government

A cognitive scientist

describes the increasing

value of behavioural

insights for business.

Interview by Karen Christensen

QUESTIONS FOR Melaina Vinski, Behavioural Economics Lead, PwC Canada