Thomas Scheurer, along with five other exceptional scholars from the University of Cambridge, Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania, made significant contributions to our understanding of technology’s impact on human cognition, mental health and decision-making.

Scheurer completed his doctorate at the Chair of Marketing within the Faculty of Economics and Management. In his dissertation entitled "More than Meets the Eye: Value Creation Potentials and Pitfalls of Augmented Reality Product Displays", supervised by Professor Leif Brandes, he explores in a groundbreaking way how augmented reality not only facilitates consumer decision-making but also has the potential to distort it in unexpected and negative ways.

His research shows, for instance, that augmented reality helps consumers better visualise products, while creating a sense of ownership even before a purchase is made. This perceived ownership, however, can have unintended consequences, as encapsulated in the concept of "AR display bias". This phenomenon refers to the tendency of augmented reality to increase consumers’ willingness to purchase objectively inferior products, as it draws attention away from value-reducing features and instead fosters a false sense of already owning the product. Scheurer’s work offers valuable insights for consumers, businesses and technology providers alike.