Webster Vienna Hosts Chopin Visiting Professor Thomas Oberlechner

Webster Vienna Private University (WVPU) hosted Prof. Dr. Thomas Oberlechner April 9-11 during the Dr. Elizabeth Chopin Endowed Visiting Professorship. 

Oberlechner is a world leading expert in decision psychology and behavioral science, specializing in the intersection of psychology and finance. His research explores the psychology of financial markets, investment decision-making and the integration of psychological and behavioral insights into investment strategies. He was previously a professor and head of the Psychology department at Webster Vienna. 

During his visiting professorship, Oberlechner conducted a research seminar, public lecture and student workshop. The April 9 research seminar was called “The Hidden Language of Decision-Making: The Power of Unconscious Metaphors.” This research seminar introduced attendees to a new perspective on decision-making — both in everyday life and in financial markets — through the lens of metaphor analysis, a method rooted in cognitive linguistics.  

Oberlechner illustrated for the audience how metaphors, unconsciously filed away by people, shape how people perceive and act in financial markets, respond to crises (financial or otherwise) and make decisions. Recognizing these underlying metaphors offers deep insight into decision-making patterns — not just for psychologists, but for anyone seeking to understand how people think and behave. 

By exploring how metaphor shapes perception and action, this seminar offered a fresh approach to understanding decision-making at both individual and collective levels. 

On April 10, the visiting professor held the public lecture entitled “How Psychology Shapes Investment Decisions: From Biases to Breakthrough Technology.” This presentation explored how psychological factors influence financial decision-making. Oberlechner shared key insights from investor psychology and behavioral finance, which uncover how emotions, biases and cognitive patterns shape financial decisions. Drawing on extensive research with financial institutions, professionals and clients, he and the audience explored how behavioral science and data analytics offer a deeper, more precise understanding of investor behavior. 

The final event in the series was the April 11 student workshop, which was combined with the WVPU course “Psychology of Decision Making.” This workshop offered hands-on experience with a state-of-the-art professional tool used by financial and investment professionals to analyze and optimize decision-making behavior. Participants had the opportunity to assess their own decision-making patterns and explore how behavioral insights can improve decision quality. 

Oberlechner is the CEO and Chief Science Officer of BehaviorQuant in Vienna and the founder of FinPsy LLC in San Francisco, where he develops advanced decision-support systems that enhance financial decision-making for investors, fund managers and advisors. 

Throughout his career, Oberlechner has held research and teaching positions at Harvard University, MIT, the University of Cologne, the University of Linz and the University of Vienna. His pioneering work is widely published in leading academic and professional journals. He is the author of “The Psychology of the Foreign Exchange Market” and “The Psychology of Ethics in the Finance and Investment Industry,” both globally recognized as definitive references on financial behavior, and widely cited by academics and practitioners. 

Since 2007, Webster Vienna has hosted the Dr. Elizabeth Chopin Endowed Visiting Professorship, donated by the late Mag. Reinhard Ortner.  

This professorship was created in honor of Elizabeth Ann (Betty) Chopin, St. Louis native and former director of Webster Vienna, who passed away in February. During the course of her history of service to the university and the community, Chopin served as Director of the Vienna Campus from 1988-1999. The endowment allows Webster Vienna to attract world-renowned professors in the fields of business, international relations, art, media and psychology to lecture and share their professional experiences through public forums. 

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