Derek Brown

Derek Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Management Division at Columbia Business School. His research focuses on equality in organizations and society, examining how group membership, social hierarchies, and intergroup ideologies influence responses to diversity. He holds a PhD in Management from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, preceded by an MA and BA from UC Berkeley and Rice University, respectively.

His research explores the psychological mechanisms behind systemic inequality, including perceptions of diversity policies, anti-Black bias, and the misperception of equality initiatives as harmful to advantaged groups. He publishes in top journals like Science Advances and Psychological Science, and his work bridges social psychology and organizational behavior to inform equitable policy design.

Notable contributions include studies on racial status quo perceptions, the dynamics of anti-Black attitudes, and the cognitive consequences of scarcity. His articles consistently address themes of social justice, institutional reform, and intergroup trust. Derek teaches courses on Managerial Negotiations and the PhD Proseminar, emphasizing practical applications of his theoretical research.