Boris Nikolaev
happiness · ventures · robots
Thanks for visiting my website. I’m an economist who studies happiness, entrepreneurship, and AI — the human (and not so human) side of markets, work, and innovation. My research looks at why people take risks to start new ventures, how work shapes well-being, and how AI, institutions, and luck influence who gets ahead. Across these projects, I’m interested in how business can create better lives.
Some people peak in high school. Some peak in midlife. Apparently, I peaked in 1970 — before I was born — and have zero plans to peak again. Curious when you peaked?
Interactive search of US baby-name popularity from 1880 to 2024, plotting how often a name was given over time, marking its peak year, comparing up to three names.
Based on U.S. Social Security data, 1880–2024.
My research includes over 50 peer-reviewed publications, including a dozen articles in premier journals such as JBV, ETP, JAP, SEJ, and JIBS. My work has been featured in the Economist, Forbes, TechCrunch, the Atlantic, and many other media outlets. I have been honored to receive multiple research excellence awards, including the Habicht Early Career Research Award and the Business for Better World Research Award.
We like to think success is mostly skill. But what happens when a hundred brilliant, highly skilled people chase the same job, grant, or journal publication? As the gap between their skills shrinks, who wins quietly tips from merit toward luck — the paradox of skill. And now what happens when everyone can use the same AI tool to polish their résumé, paper, or portfolio? Observed differences in skill shrink even further. The more AI makes everyone look alike on paper, the more luck — not merit — decides who actually wins the race. Play with the simulation below to see the effect.
The threshold lottery
Each dot is one of 1,500 applicants to an elite pool. The vertical axis is the random luck of their evaluation; the horizontal axis is their underlying skill. The cutoff is a lottery in disguise.
Based on the selection model in my working paper When Merit Meets Noise.
In the classroom, my passion for innovative teaching has earned recognition from the Academy of Management. I have also received several university-wide teaching awards, including the William H. Fox Teaching Award for Emerging Excellence (Emory University), the N. Preston Davis Award for Instructional Innovation (Colorado State University), the Provost Award for Outstanding Teaching (University of South Florida), and the Innovation in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award (AOM ENT Division).
The senior capstone at the College of Business at CSU.
Experimental class on how firms create, capture, and defend value — and how AI is quietly rewriting the playbook for competitive advantage.
You’re X and you go first. Get three in a row — across, down, or diagonally — to win. Give it a shot. Good luck!
Three in a row wins — diagonals count.
A hands-on workshop I teach for AI Horizons — for researchers and professionals who want to learn how to use AI efficiently. The workshop demonstrates, through hands-on exercises, how you can use tools such as Cowork and Claude Code to automate data analysis workflows.
I regularly work with businesses and organizations to problem-solve and come up with creative solutions.
I've given 50+ workshops and talks — on AI, well-being, entrepreneurship, pedagogy, and more — for universities, conferences, and teams.
I advise universities, companies, and organizations on AI and well-being — where the tools genuinely help, how to adopt them wisely, and how it all ties back to people who thrive rather than burn out.
Independent economic and statistical analysis for litigation and disputes — careful, plainly explained, and built to stand up under scrutiny.
Freelance, project-based work — websites, dashboards, and data projects — designed, built, and delivered end to end.
A short engagement or standing advisory, a keynote or a contract analysis — tell me what you're trying to do.
Start a conversation →A few pictures of places I've visited with people I love.
Moraine Lake · Banff
Cliffs of Moher · Ireland
Maroon Bells · Colorado
Bluebonnet season
Mount Shuksan
Horseshoe Bend · Arizona
Nā Pali Coast · Kauai
Ecola · Oregon