Executive Education
Faculty

Dr. Sarah S. M. Townsend studies the psychological foundations of inequality. Her research reveals the dysfunctional behaviors and physiological costs that can result when individuals’ cultural norms collide with the dominant cultural norms of organizations. She examines how these “cultural divides” are often a hidden source of inequality. More specifically, she reveals how they are a tool to lessen opportunity gaps and fuel greater cross-group understanding. Dr. Townsend uses a multi-method approach, measuring cardiovascular and hormonal responses along with how people think, feel, and act.

Dr. Sarah Townsend is an associate editor for the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and an editorial board member for both Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and the Academy of Management Discoveries. her research has been published in numerous scholarly outlets and she has been an invited speaker at numerous events and conferences hosted by the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, the Academy of Management, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for the Science of Motivation. Further, various media outlets have covered her research, including The Atlantic, Huffington Post, New York Magazine, and The Washington Post. Poets and Quants featured Dr. Townsend as “Professor of the Week”. The Association of Psychological Science named her a “Rising Star”.

Dr. Sarah Townsend teaches undergraduate, MBA, and executive courses on leadership and the science of bias, diversity, and inclusion.