Teaching Interests
Research Interests
Featured grants
- Charles, Joni S J, Zhai, Muxin. Impact of Air Quality on Individual Financial Cognition: Evidence from California Wildfire, Texas State University, $8000. (Submitted: October 2022, Funded: May 2022 - May 2023). Grant.
- Zhai, Muxin. Shaping Retirement Savings: The Effects of Automatic Savings Mechanisms in 401(k) Plans, Texas State University, $8000. (Submitted: 2024, Funded: 2025 - 2026). Grant.
- Zhai, Muxin, Feng, Li. Financial Literacy Among Minority College Students, McCoy College of Business, McCoy College of Business, $3100. (Funded: 2024 - 2025). Grant.
- Zhai, Muxin (Principal), Charles, Joni S J (Co-Principal). Impact of Air Quality on Individual Financial Cognition – Evidence from California Wildfire, McCoy College of Business, McCoy Research Grant, $5000. (Submitted: March 2023). Grant.
- Zhai, Muxin (Principal), Feng, Li (Co-Principal). Retaining the Future Doctors in a Post-Pandemic World Using Nudge Experiment, Research Enhancement Program (REP), Texas State University, $16000. (Funded: January 11, 2021 - Present). Grant.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Lynch, J., Wang, Y., & Zhai, M. (2023). Too Many Employees Cash Out Their 401(k)s When Leaving a Job. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2023/03/too-many-employees-cash-out-their-401ks-when-leaving-a-job
- Wang, Y., Zhai, M., & Lynch, J. J. (2022). Cashing Out Retirement Savings at Job Separation. Marketing Science. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2022.1404
- Ye, X., Zhai, M., Feng, L., Xie, A., Wang, W., & Wu, H. (2022). Still want to be a doctor? Medical student dropout in the era of COVID-19. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2021.12.034
- Ye, X., Zhai, M., & Feng, L. (2025). Free Teacher Education in Rural China: Incentives and Challenges. China Economic Review, 93, 102486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2025.102486
- Zhai, M., Kishan, R. P., & Showalter, D. (2022). Saving Lives through Social Capital: Evidence from the United States Counties. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 98, 101856. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2022.101856
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Translational Health Research (THR) award, Translational Health Research Center. 2023 - March 2024
- Award / Honor Recipient: Department of Finance and Economics Award for Excellence in Research, Department of Finance and Economics. 2022
- Award / Honor Recipient: The 2020 Special Distribution of the Teaching Award of Honor, Texas State Alumni Association. 2020
- Award / Honor Recipient: Langton Award for Teaching, University of Washington. 2013 - 2014
Featured service activities
- Reviewer / Referee
Energy Economics
- Reviewer / Referee
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
- Reviewer / Referee
Environmental Economics and Policy Studies
- Reviewer / Referee
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
- Participant
McCoy College Cat Camp
- Organizer
Department Research Seminar Series