‘What Moves People?’ Drives NREL Mobility Behavioral Scientist To Find Answers March 16, 2021 Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Patricia (Paty) Romero-Lankao arrived in Colorado in 2006 and found her way to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2018 to grow a new mobility behavioral science capability. “How people behave and make decisions are social science questions, not technical ones,” Romero-Lankao said. Understanding what factors influence people’s choices—specifically energy and mobility choices, such as whether to carpool or buy a fuel-efficient vehicle—can inform policy, technology rollout, and ultimately influence individuals to make cleaner choices. Paty Romero-Lankao, NREL's lead behavioral scientist for mobility behavioral science,