Paul Zak is professor of economics and the founding director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University. Zak also serves as professor of neurology at Loma Linda University Medical Center and is a senior researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He has bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and economics from San Diego State University,
a doctorate in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and postdoctoral training in neuroimaging from Harvard University. His new book, Moral Markets: The Critical Role of Values
in the Economy, was published in 2008. 

Zak is credited with the first published use of the term “neuroeconomics” and has been at the vanguard in this new discipline that integrates neuroscience and economics. He organized
and administers the world's first doctoral program in neuroeconomics at Claremont Graduate
University. In 2004, Zak's lab discovered that an ancient chemical in our brains, oxytocin, helps
us determine whom to trust. This knowledge is being used to understand the basis for modern civilizations and modern economies, improve negotiations, and treat patients with neurological
and psychiatric disorders.