Dean Mobbs is interested in the intersection of behavioral ecology, economics, emotion, and social psychology. By understanding the neural, computational, and behavioral dynamics of human social and emotional experiences, his lab develops theoretical models that merge those fields. Using brain-imaging, computational modeling and novel behavioral techniques, his lab is probing the neurobiological systems responsible for fear and anxiety, revealing how people learn to control their fears, and how anxiety and psychiatric disorders disrupt those processes. His research also focuses on the interplay between social interaction, protection, and emotion—how fear can depend on whether you're alone or in a group (e.g. fear dilution).

Prior to Caltech, Mobbs was an assistant professor of psychology at Columbia University and a research assistant at Stanford University. His awards include the APS Janet Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions (2015) and the NARSAD Young Investigator Award (2015). He is a life fellow of Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge. In 2019, he was named a Chen Scholar at the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at Caltech.