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Subsequent to obtaining his private pilot’s license, Tim Derksen began undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia in mining engineering. After working in the mining industry for four years and deciding that engineering wouldn’t be for him, Tim went on to complete an MBA at the University of Toronto. He then gained more work experience — including working at a refinery, a cannabis startup for dogs, and a bit of consulting, oh and did we mention moving to Newfoundland? Finally, inspired by the experiences he had during his MBA, Tim headed to Alberta to begin his PhD in marketing at the Alberta School of Business. 

“I was inspired by studies regarding human behavior,” says Derksen.

“This research was fascinating and I was drawn in to better understand how perspective and one’s environment shapes our outcomes.” 

Accordingly, Tim began to consider schools where he could work with faculty that had expertise in his areas of interest. The research and reputation of faculty at the Alberta School of Business, as well as the fact that Alberta is Tim’s home province, led to his decision to apply.

However, moving to Edmonton became more complicated as Tim was accepted in the spring of 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. Beginning a PhD program during a pandemic, after moving multiple times and having to develop a new social network each time, drove his desire to research how consumption is shaped by and shapes our social connections.

Tim's research explores the complex relationship between consumer behavior and social connections. He investigates how our emotional states and relationship distress influence our spending habits and choices. For example, he  how people with relationship problems tend to spend more on pets, viewing it as a less sacrificial way to foster a social connection compared to spending on a friend. He also examines how bad moods can lead consumers to create unpleasant products for themselves using generative AI and how relationship distress promotes self-focused consumption over shared experiences.

His recent in the Journal of Business Research developed a consumer escapism scale. That is, in collaboration with his colleagues, Tim developed questions that help to predict when consumers are stressed and would prefer goods that help them to escape their present reality to relieve that stress. 

“Ultimately, my work aims to help people form more meaningful connections with one another, as well as with products and companies,” says Derksen.