Jennifer A. Richeson’s range of research is more than extensive. From neuroscience to nonverbal behavior, she challenges status quo understandings of bias and discrimination, primarily focusing on the ways white Americans behave and act towards their non-white counterparts. Much of Richeson’s recent research considers the political consequences of the increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the United States and how people respond to shifting demographics and inequalities. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, and her theoretical and empirical contributions have been featured in both top-tier academic journals and in popular press outlets like The Economist and The New York Times.
Professional positions
- 2016–present: Philip R. Allen Professor of Psychology, Yale University
- 2005–2016: Associate and full professor of psychology, Northwestern University
- 2000–2005: Assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences, Dartmouth College
Notable publications
- Kraus, Michael W., Julian M. Rucker, and Jennifer A. Richeson. 2017. “Americans misperceive racial economic equality.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(39): 10324–10331.
- McCall, Leslie, Derek Burk, Marie Laperrière, and Jennifer A. Richeson. 2017. Exposure to rising inequality shapes Americans’ beliefs about opportunity and policy support. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(36): 9593–9598.
- Craig, Maureen A., and Jennifer A. Richeson. 2014. “On the precipice of a ‘majority–minority’ America: Perceived status threat from the racial demographic shift affects white Americans’ political ideology.” Psychological Science 25(6): 1189–1197.
- Richeson, Jennifer A., Abigail A. Baird, Heather L. Gordon, Todd F. Heatherton, Carrie L. Wyland, Sophie Trawalter, and J. Nicole Shelton. 2003. “An fMRI examination of the impact of interracial contact on executive function.” Nature Neuroscience 6: 1323–1328.
Degrees
- PhD, social psychology, Harvard University
- MA, social psychology, Harvard University
- BS, psychology, Brown University
