Izzy Benjamin Gainsburg
Research Scholar
Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
Bio
I'm a social psychologist and behavior scientist focused on how to help people do the most good. Currently, I am a Research Scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. There, I serve as the Associate Director of the Polarization and Social Change Lab, which is led by Professor Robb Willer.
My current research fits into three categories: 1) basic science investigating the psychological underpinnings of compassion, moral concern, and altruism, 2) developing and testing behavioral science, with a focus on increasing cooperation and pro-democratic behaviors, and 3) meta-scientific efforts to understand which research questions and interventions are most impactful for psychologists and behavioral to pursue. In general, my work is informed by ideas from Effective Altruism.
Before coming to Stanford, I completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School and University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. I received my PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan in 2020.
Academic Appointments
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Social Science Research Scholar, Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society