A social psychologist and an award-winning researcher and teacher, Kurt Gray uses interdisciplinary methods to study our deepest held beliefs and how to bridge moral divides.
Dr. Gray is a Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Organizational Behavior at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC, where he teaches about organizational ethics and team processes. Dr. Gray received his PhD from Harvard University.
Award-Winning Researcher and Teacher
Dr. Gray publishes innovative work in high-impact journals and has received millions in funding across agencies and foundations. For scientific impact, Dr. Gray has received the Janet Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Research, the Sage Young Scholar Award, and the Theoretical Innovation Award. For teaching, he has received the Psi Chi Undergraduate Teaching award. His work on bridging divides won The Grand Prize for Best Paper at the FRANK Public Interest and Communication Conference.
Director, the Deepest Beliefs Lab
The lab investigates people’s most important beliefs, including morality and religion, and how they impact society. The lab also investigates how people and organizations navigate the increasing presence of artificial intelligence in society. Lab research has clear applications to the real world, revealing how people respond to bias in algorithms, the roots of intersectional discrimination, how ethical policies in organizations can backfire, and how best to foster political tolerance.
Director, the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding
The Center uses interdisciplinary methods to understand how best to bridge moral and political divides. The Center serves as a catalyst for an emerging field of moral understanding by conducting original research, funding innovative scholars, developing novel collaborations, connecting science with society, and creating coursework to help students develop moral understanding.
Consultant, Speaker, Author
Dr. Gray helps to transform both public and private-sector organizations through his consulting and executive development work, where he leverages his expertise on ethics, social psychology, and AI. Dr. Gray extends his thought leadership through public talks (TEDx, Upswell). He writes a Substack newsletter “Moral Understanding” and has penned numerous op-eds featured in popular press outlets including The New York Times and the Harvard Business Review. The Wall Street Journal called his popular press book, The Mind Club, “So compelling, and so beautifully written.”