Hillary Anger Elfenbein

Hillary Anger Elfenbein is the John and Ellen Wallace Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behavior at Washington University in St. Louis, known for her research on emotion in the workplace and cross-cultural differences in emotion.

Education Elfenbein received undergraduate degrees from Harvard University in physics and Sanskrit and Indian studies. She also earned an M.A. in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior jointly between the Department of Psychology and Harvard Business School.

Career After graduating with her bachelor's degrees, Elfenbein took a position as a management consultant at Monitor Company in Cambridge (1994–1996).

Research Elfenbein is known for her research in emotion in the workplace, negotiation, and the recognition of emotion across cultures. Her early work described cultural differences in emotions, and how that controls people's ability to evaluate emotions. She has reviewed emotions in the workplace, how emotions impact negotiations, and individual's perceptions of negative feelings. Her research includes investigations into people with high emotional intelligence, and she has testified before the Congress about the value of basic research.

Congressional testimony On June 2, 2011, Elfenbein testified at a United States congressional hearing in front of the United States House Science Subcommittee on Research and Technology. During the congressional oversight hearing, she addressed a need for basic social science research funding in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences.

Advocacy Since the October 7 attacks in Israel and subsequent 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses, Elfenbein has been actively engaged in combatting antisemitism at Washington University and has contributed to media outlets regarding the new antisemitism movement in the United States.

Personal life Elfenbein has been performing stand-up comedy in St. Louis since 2016.