Moran Koren

Moran Koren

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Game Theory & Agentic Design Lab

Current Research Projects

Joining the lab in 2026: Yarden Weiss, Sharona Isacov, Daniel Azoulay and Ron Halevi (M.Sc.). Project pages to follow.

Yuval Doron
M.Sc. Student
Ongoing
Graph-Based Social Matching for Displaced Populations
Initial results presented at Stony Brook GT Festival 2025  ·  Supported by IDSAI
Mechanism Design Matching Social Influence Social Impact
Develops a graph-based allocation mechanism for displaced populations that preserves social networks. Proves that minimum graph cut solutions are game-theoretically stable and introduces an efficient Cycle-Based Improvement algorithm. Combines computational efficiency with social sensitivity for humanitarian housing allocation.
Yuval Peled
Ph.D. Candidate (from Oct 2026)
Ongoing
Strategic Decision-Making under Competition in Common Value Markets
Supported by ISF 977/24  ·  First paper submitted to AAMAS 2027
Game Theory Experiment Healthcare
Examines how strategic decisions are made under conditions of competition and pressure using a controlled experiment. Measures decision speed under different competitive settings and compares it to the ex-post quality and accuracy of the decisions. At a broader level, the study aims to inform a more efficient model for allocating organs for transplantation, in which decisions are made faster while maintaining decision quality and safeguarding transplant recipients.

Previous Students

Oriya Sheetrit
M.Sc. (completed 2026)
Completed
Fairness-Aware Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning
Joint with S. Shperberg  ·  Supported by ISF 977/24
Multi-Agent / RL Mechanism Design Cooperative AI
Develops MARL mechanisms for fair decisions in asymmetric environments. Introduces a novel optimization framework with real-time performance gap measurement and dual update mechanisms that guide agents toward balanced, cooperative strategies. Applications in robotics, resource allocation, and collaborative AI.
Din Amir
M.Sc. (completed 2026)
Completed
Strategic Decision-Making: Crowdfunding vs. Voting Mechanisms
Supported by ISF 977/24  ·  Results published at WINE 2025 (29.8% acceptance rate)
Game Theory Behavioral Economics Crowdfunding
Examines how individuals make strategic decisions under uncertainty, comparing crowdfunding and simple voting mechanisms. Using a custom experimental platform to analyze how risk, collective influence, and social trust affect participant choices and collective outcomes.
Gal Ram
M.Sc. (completed 2026)
Completed
Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Urban Traffic Control
Joint with Ayal Taitler  ·  Supported by the Paul Ivanir Center
Multi-Agent / RL Game Theory Smart Transportation
Develops an intelligent traffic control system where each traffic light functions as an autonomous agent learning to make real-time decisions. Applies game-theoretic principles to enable cooperation and competition among agents for optimizing traffic flow and reducing congestion.
Bar Hoter
M.Sc. (completed 2026)  ·  Now: Data Analyst @ Vi
Completed
Blockchain-Based Food Security Management System
Supported by MOST & KKL  ·  Publication at ISCC 2025
Mechanism Design Blockchain Social Impact
Developed a blockchain platform for food security management in Israel, where 23% of the population faces food insecurity. The system provides disaster preparedness simulation and food waste reduction strategies. Key finding: recovering 20% of current food waste could eliminate national food insecurity.
Ohad Kiperman
M.Sc. (completed 2026)  ·  Now: Data Scientist @ Zefr
Completed
Impact of OPO Mergers on Kidney Transplant Allocation
Joint with I. Shurtz and N. Gershoni  ·  Supported by ISF 977/24 and BGU-CHER
Healthcare Mechanism Design Matching
Analyzed how the merger of two major Organ Procurement Organizations affected the organ allocation landscape. Used OPTN database and Difference-in-Differences methodology to assess whether consolidation enhanced organ-patient matching efficiency or introduced new market distortions.

Undergraduate Final Projects (B.Sc.)

Industrial Engineering & Management capstone projects supervised at Ben-Gurion University. Many are paired with M.Sc. students or industry partners.

Amit Walach, Vered Simchovitz & Yair Neuman
Replicating and comparing behavioral experiments with human participants vs. AI agents
Experiment Behavioral Economics AI Agents
Sem A '26 Active
Shir Horowitz
Decision-making in groups of learning algorithms (Graph Resettlement Problem)
Multi-Agent / RL Mechanism Design Matching
Sem A '26 Active w/ Yuval Doron
Sivan Tsidkulov
Decision-making in resource allocation — kidney transplant geographic data analysis
Healthcare Mechanism Design
Sem A '26 Active
Shon-Abraham Levin
Strategic behavior and cooperation of LLM agents in multi-player board games (Catan) — paper submitted to AAMAS 2027
AI Agents Game Theory
Sem A '26 Active
Noam Rozali & Lior Segal
Decision-making in information-overloaded environments
Experiment Behavioral Economics
Sem A '26 Active
Sapir Insaz Bruchim & Ofek Bar Yosef
Granularity of information display in crowdfunding and its effect on investment decisions
Crowdfunding Experiment Behavioral Economics
Sem A '26 Active w/ Din Amir
Roni Helen Hajaj & Sheli Levi
Decision-making experiment (algorithmic learning)
Experiment Multi-Agent / RL Behavioral Economics
Sem A '26 Active w/ Din Amir
Amit Carmeli & Shelly Sarizada
How group influence shapes dating decisions (experiment)
Experiment Social Influence Behavioral Economics
Sem A '26 Active w/ Din Amir
Shani Klein, Barel Furman & Alexandra Hvostenko
Improving the donation-matching process at the call center
Industry Mechanism Design Social Impact
Sem B '25 Completed w/ Patachon Lev NGO
Shani Rozenblum Lev & Noa Eloya
Matching excellent students to Mitar/Kashat tracks — survey & system design
Matching Social Impact
Sem B '25 Completed
Inbal Epstein & Yonathan Golan
Measuring herding behavior in financial markets
Behavioral Economics Game Theory Finance
Sem B '25 Completed
Noa Etesh & Shir Biton
Web platform for the elderly
Social Impact
Sem A '25 Completed
Or Yehuda Gil & Dotan Bersano
Experiment in decision-making: risk attitude and gambling behavior
Experiment Behavioral Economics
Sem A '25 Completed
Inbar Nesia Solomiani & Shenhav Tanami
Information cascades and social influence on decision-making (experiment)
Experiment Social Influence Behavioral Economics
Sem A '25 Completed w/ Din Amir
Oriya Sheetrit
Decision support system design in the mining industry
Industry
Sem A '24 Completed Industry collaboration
Gal Eitach & Shani Gueta
Online crowdfunding experiment
Crowdfunding Experiment
Sem B '23 → A '24 Completed w/ Bar Hoter