Johanna Palcu has been an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Marketing Management at WU Vienna since 2018.
In September 2018, she received her PhD in Psychology with a focus on Applied Social Psychology and Consumer Behavior from the University of Vienna. Her dissertation explored the influence of nonverbal social cues on consumer behavior and purchasing decisions.

Her research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of psychological basic research (e.g., social influence and social identity, attention, emotion regulation, unconscious information processing, impulsive behavior) and applied questions in marketing and consumer behavior. A central focus of her work is understanding how socially relevant, sustainable, and prosocial consumption can be promoted—through psychological need orientation, targeted nudging, and the design of effective marketing communication.

She has a particular interest in simple, low-threshold interventions, such as the use of humor or the encouragement of impulsive sustainable actions. Further research areas include consumer acceptance of novel consumption alternatives (e.g., edible insects) and the impact of negative consumption images (e.g., anti-consumption messages or appeals for reduction) on purchasing behavior.

Methodologically, she primarily conducts experimental research—both in the lab and in the field—while also applying mixed methods and neuromarketing approaches (e.g., eye tracking).