معرفی
Catherine Thomas is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Studies and Psychology at the University of Michigan. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from Stanford University, an MSc in Global Mental Health from the University of London, and a BA in Anthropology from Yale University. Her research focuses on poverty and inequality, employing insights from social and cultural psychology to design interventions that disrupt systems perpetuating economic disparities. She conducts lab and field experiments globally, collaborating with governments, nonprofits, economists, and sociologists to address poverty in low- and middle-income countries alongside U.S. contexts.
Her work emphasizes culturally attuned interventions—termed 'culturally wise'—to enhance economic mobility and public support for equality. Notable projects include studying pandemic impacts on inequality, reframing welfare policies for conservative U.S. populations, and evaluating dignity-focused aid delivery in Kenya. She is affiliated with the Organizational Studies department at the University of Michigan and contributes to interdisciplinary teams advancing global development research.
Her expertise spans poverty alleviation, psychosocial interventions, behavioral economics, and cross-cultural research methodologies. She has published widely on topics such as interdependence in Sub-Saharan Africa, social prejudice reduction, and evidence-based policy design, reflecting her commitment to bridging psychological science with real-world societal challenges.
