The School of Global Studies, Thammasat University
International Program at Thammasat University in Global Studies and Social Entrepreneurship
Neil has worked in marketing and market research for most of his career and has focused on applying psychology to everyday behaviour. He worked in product development and sensory and consumer research for many years. In 2000, Neil moved to Asia, Synovate’s research function and then moving to Shanghai in 2004 to manage their innovation team. In 2009, he led a global company ‘Train the trainer’ initiative to build professional training skills. In 2010, Neil moved to Singapore to set up TapestryWorks, helping clients decode people and culture and was an Associate Fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Expertise:
Psychology of sustainable consumption; cross-cultural differences; behavioural economics; social psychology; semiotics and visual communication.
Undergraduate:
GS102 Critical Thinking for Global Studies
GS236 The Psychology of Global Organizations
GS262 Social Branding and Marketing
GS490 Senior Project 1 Cultural and Organizational Intelligence
GS490 Senior Project 1 Social Innovation Project
GS491 Senior Project 2 Social Innovation Project;
SPD318 Strategic Communication for Social Change
Graduate:
GS613 Designing Organizations for Impact
GS621 Seminar on Social Innovation and Sustainability
GS741 Research Methods
GS743 Introduction to Philosophy of Social Science
GS752 Behavioural Economics for Sustainability
GS102 Critical Thinking for Global Studies
GS236 The Psychology of Global Organizations
GS262 Social Branding and Marketing
GS490 Senior Project 1 Cultural and Organizational Intelligence
GS490 Senior Project 1 Social Innovation Project
GS491 Senior Project 2 Social Innovation Project;
SPD318 Strategic Communication for Social Change
Graduate:
GS613 Designing Organizations for Impact
GS621 Seminar on Social Innovation and Sustainability
GS741 Research Methods
GS743 Introduction to Philosophy of Social Science
GS752 Behavioural Economics for Sustainability
Francisco, R. G., & Gains, N. (2026). Distributed complexity reduction in the diffusion of sustainable innovations: The role of influencer networks in social commerce. (Submitted to International Journal of Innovation Management).
Francisco, R. G., & Gains, N. (2026). Seen but not always said: Sustainable food transitions through Philippine social commerce. (Submitted to The International Journal of Social Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context).
Elzafan, M., Sherman, D., Vandermeulen, D., Gains, N., et al. (2026). How climate change politicization moderates behavioral intervention effectiveness across nations. (Submitted to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)).
Francisco, R. G., & Gains, N. (2026). Beyond persuasion: Influencers as facilitators of network-mediated diffusion of meat alternatives in Philippine social commerce. International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-026-00481-0
Doell, K. C., Todorova, B., Vlasceanu, M., Gains, N., et al. (2024). The International Climate Psychology Collaboration: Climate change-related data collected from 63 countries. Scientific Data, 11, 1066. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03865-1
Faust, N. T., Hong, Y.-Y., Gains, N., & Christopoulos, G. I. (2024). The effect of implicit theories of human beauty and perceived pressure on cosmetic consumption. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 18(1), 43–58.
Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K. C., Bak-Coleman, J. B., Gains, N., et al. (2024). Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries. Science Advances, 10, eadj5778. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj5778
Gains, N., & Ho, X.-N. T. (2023). Do plant-based food products communicate sustainability? A case study of brand meanings in Thailand. NIDA Case Research Journal, 15(1). https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/NCRJ/article/view/262945
Truong, N., Christopoulos, G., Hong, Y.-Y., & Gains, N. (2021). A flower is a flower? The effect of implicit theories of beauty on appearance-related social pressure and cosmetic consumption. (Submitted to PNAS).
Gains, N. (2017). The rhythm and rhyme of brand success: Using sound to build the sense, symbol and story of your brand. In L. Minsky & C. Fahey (Eds.), Audio Branding: Using Sound to Build Your Brand. London: Kogan Page.
Gains, N. (2013). Brand esSense: Using Sense, Symbol and Story to Design Brand Identity. London: Kogan Page.
Gains, N. (2011). Using empathy and narrative to ignite research. In B. Kaden, G. Linda, & M. Prince (Eds.), Leading Edge Marketing Research (pp. 273–286). Los Angeles: Sage.
Gains, N. (1994). The repertory grid approach. In H. J. H. MacFie & D. M. H. Thomson (Eds.), Measurement of Food Preferences (pp. 51–76). Oxford: Blackie Academic & Professional.
Gains, N., & Thomson, D. M. H. (1990). Sensory evaluation of canned lager beers using consumers in their own homes. Food Quality and Preference, 2, 39–47.
Gains, N., & Thomson, D. M. H. (1990). The relation of repertory grid generalized Procrustes analysis solutions to the dimensions of perception: Application to Munsell color stimuli. Journal of Sensory Studies, 5, 177–192.
Gains, N., & Thomson, D. M. H. (1990). Contextual evaluation of canned lagers using repertory grid method. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 25, 699–705.
Scriven, F. M., Gains, N., Green, S. R., & Thomson, D. M. H. (1989). A contextual evaluation of alcoholic beverages using the repertory grid method. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 24, 173–182.
Gains, N., Krzanowski, W. J., & Thomson, D. M. H. (1988). A comparison of variable reduction techniques in an attitudinal investigation of meat products. Journal of Sensory Studies, 3, 37–48.
McFarlane, D., & Gains, N. (2019). Emojis and stickers in Thailand: Universal meaning or private language? In Digital Transaction in Asia III. Monash University Malaysia.
Faust, N., Lim, L., Gains, N., & Christopoulos, G. (2018). Fixed or malleable: The role of implicit theories in the domain of beauty. In 2018 Global Marketing Conference at Tokyo Proceedings (pp. 705–706).
Chartered Member of the Market Research Society (CMRS)
Certified Member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists (GAABS)
Program
University
Year
PH.D.
DEPT OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF READING, UK
1989
B.A. (HONS) IN ARTS & HUMANITIES, MAJOR SUBJECTS STUDIED: MUSIC, LITERATURE, HISTORY
OPEN UNIVERSITY, UK
1997
B.SC. (HONS) IN MATHEMATICAL STUDIES, MAJOR SUBJECT STUDIED: STATISTICS
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS, UNIVERSITY OF BATH, UK
1986