Sandra Matz

Sandra Matz is the Lulu Chow Wang Professor of Business at Columbia Business School's Management Division, where she joined in 2017. She is also the co-director of the Center for Advanced Technology and Human Performance. With a background spanning psychology and computer science, Professor Matz operates at the intersection of computational social science and business applications.

Her research focuses on uncovering the hidden relationships between digital footprints and psychological characteristics, particularly how personality traits can be predicted from digital data and used for psychological targeting. Professor Matz examines how these insights influence consumer behavior, leadership effectiveness, climate attitudes, and financial decision-making. She takes a nuanced approach to this field, recognizing both the potential dangers of manipulative targeting and the opportunities for positive applications that improve well-being.

Professor Matz has published over fifty academic papers in leading journals and is the author of the forthcoming book 'Mindmasters: The Data-Driven Science of Predicting and Changing Human Behavior' (January 2025). Her work has been widely featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist.

Among her notable recognitions are:

• SAGE Early Career Trajectory Award for social and personality psychologists
• Poets and Quants' Best 40-Under-40 MBA professors
• Capital Magazine's Young Elite Top 40 Under 40
• Pacific Standard Magazine's Top 30 Thinkers Under 30
• DataIQ's 100 Most Influential People in Data

Professor Matz teaches courses including Managerial Negotiations, Executive Ethics, Lead: People, Teams, Organizations, and Digital Foresight. Her work bridges academic research with practical business applications, particularly in understanding how personality and digital behavior influence organizational outcomes and consumer decisions.