Boaz Keysar

Boaz Keysar is a Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Cognition program at the University of Chicago. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1989 and was a visiting scholar at Stanford University before joining the faculty at the University of Chicago in 1991.

Keysar’s research is about the relationship between thinking, decision making and communication. His research has been published in major scientific journals such as Psychological Review, Psychological Science, Cognition, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Journal of Experimental Psychology. Keysar’s research has also received substantial interest in the media, both domestic and international. Reports about his work have appeared in media outlets such as the Science Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, National Post-Canada, Der Spiegel – Germany, China Daily – China, Smart Money – Russia, Science daily, LiveScience.com, MSNBC, National Public Radio, Freakonomics Radio and others.

Keysar's teaching experience spans three educational institutions—Princeton, Stanford and the University of Chicago. His classes on The Psychology of Decision Making, as well as The Psychology of Negotiation receive top ratings from students and are among the most sought-after courses on campus. Professor Keysar's honors and awards include the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and a Fulbright Scholarship. His research has been supported by over three million dollars in research grants from federal agencies and private foundations such as the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the John Templeton Foundation.

Keysar is a charter member of the Association for Psychological Science, as well as a member of several other professional associations such as the Psychonomic Society and the Society for Judgment and Decision Making. He has also served on editorial boards and grant reviews. Though the majority of Professor Keysar’s time is devoted to research and teaching, he has also provided seminars to corporations in a variety of industries. He is routinely invited to present his work in universities and conferences around the world. He has been named Chicagoan of The Year, and was awarded the President's Service award, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service.