CFC Brief Biography

Christopher F. Chabris: Brief Biography

100-word Version:

Christopher Chabris is a Professor at Geisinger, a healthcare system in Pennsylvania, where he co-directs the Behavioral Insights Team ("nudge unit"). He previously taught at Union College and Harvard University, and he is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. Chris received his Ph.D. in psychology and A.B. in computer science from Harvard. His research focuses on attention, decision-making, intelligence, and behavior genetics. His work has been published in leading journals including Science, Nature, PNAS, and Perception. Chris is also a chess master and co-author of the bestseller The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us, published in 20 languages.

Short Version:

Christopher Chabris is a Professor at Geisinger, an integrated healthcare system in Pennsylvania, where he co-founded and co-directs both the Behavioral and Decision Sciences Program and the Behavioral Insights Team (the "nudge unit"). He previously taught at Union College and Harvard University, and he is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. His research focuses on attention, intelligence, decision-making, collective intelligence, cognitive ability, and behavior genetics. Chris received his Ph.D. in psychology and A.B. in computer science from Harvard University. He is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us, which has been published in 20 languages to date. He shared the 2004 Ig Nobel Prize in Psychology (awarded for "achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think"), given for the scientific experiment that inspired the book. That "invisible gorilla experiment" has been named one of the most famous studies in the history of psychology. Chris has spoken to audiences at major conferences and businesses, including PopTech, Google, Credit Suisse, and Procter & Gamble, and his work has been published in leading journals including Science, Nature, PNAS, Psychological Science, Perception, and Cognitive Science. He is a chess master, poker amateur, and games enthusiast; for three years he wrote the monthly "Game On" column in The Wall Street Journal, where he has also published essays and book reviews. He has also contributed to The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and other national publications.

Long Version:

Chris is the co-author (with Daniel Simons) of the New York Times bestseller and Editor's Choice book The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us, published in 2010 by Crown in the U.S. and HarperCollins in the U.K., with translations published or forthcoming in Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, German, French, Spanish, and thirteen other languages. In 2004 Chris and Dan shared the Ig Nobel Prize in Psychology (awarded for "achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think") for the experiment that inspired their book. That "invisible gorilla experiment" has been named one of the most famous studies in the history of psychology.

Chris's research focuses on several areas: attention, decision-making, collective intelligence, cognitive ability, and behavior genetics. His work has appeared in leading journals, including Science, Nature, PNAS, Psychological Science, Nature Neuroscience, American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Social Psychology, Perception, and Cognitive Science, and it has been covered in major media outlets worldwide. Chris has spoken to audiences at Google, Microsoft, Credit Suisse, Procter & Gamble, PopTech, One Day University, government agencies, and many other private and public events.

Chris is a chess master, poker amateur, and games enthusiast; for three years he wrote the monthly "Game On" column in The Wall Street Journal, where he has also published essays and book reviews. He has also contributed to The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Slate, and other national publications.

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