Jennifer Lerner, PhD
About Jennifer Lerner, PhD
Dr. Jennifer Lerner is a tenured professor at Harvard University with appointments at the Harvard Kennedy School, the Department of Psychology, and the Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences. Working at the intersection of psychology, economics, and neuroscience, her research examines the effects of social and emotional factors on judgment and decision making. In particular, she specializes in the study of decisions with small margins for error, such as health, economic, and national security decision making. Across all areas of research, her work aims to expand the evidentiary base for designing policies that maximize human wellbeing. An award-winning teacher, she is also founding Faculty Director of Leadership Decision Making, an executive education program at the Harvard Kennedy School. From 2018-2019, Dr. Lerner served as the first Chief Decision Scientist for the U.S. Navy and as Special Advisor to the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations.