Born and raised in Québec City, Pierre studied philosophy before moving into social psychology, a trajectory that still shows in the way he frames empirical questions. His research focuses on the mechanics of trust: how it is extended, how it survives betrayal, and how cooperation persists in groups where defection is individually rational. He leads the Cooperation Engine project and has collaborated extensively with game theorists and legal scholars on the practical implications of behavioural findings. He joined the Institute in 2011.