Regents' Professor Emeritus Robert Cialdini elected to National Academy of Sciences

In recognition of his outstanding achievements in original research, the psychology and marketing professor has been elected a member of one of the most distinguished scientific organizations in the country.

TEMPE, AZ (May 28, 2019) — In recognition of his outstanding achievements in original research, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing Robert Cialdini has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the most distinguished scientific organizations in the country.

Cialdini was hired by Arizona State University’s Department of Psychology in 1971 but in the mid-1980s was asked by ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business to apply his research to consumer behavior and the science of influence.

His books, including “Influence: Science & Practice,” are the result of decades of peer-reviewed research on why people comply with requests. “Influence” has sold over 3 million copies in more than 30 languages and is a New York Times Bestseller.

Cialdini’s latest book, “Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade,” published by Simon & Schuster, quickly became a Wall Street Journal and a New York Times Bestseller.

Because of the world-wide recognition of Cialdini’s cutting-edge scientific research and his ethical business and policy applications, he is frequently regarded as the “Godfather of influence.”

“There’s a combination of feelings in that I’m deeply gratified and, secondly, thrilled by it,” said Cialdini, whose research in developing and testing theories of consumer behavior is considered groundbreaking by his peers. That research is also the reason why the W. P. Carey School of Business Department of Marketing opened the Robert B. Cialdini Behavioral Research Lab, which has conducted over 10,000 hours of research and more than 200 separate behavioral experiments.

He received his doctorate from the University of North Carolina and postdoctoral training from Columbia University. He has held visiting scholar appointments at Ohio State University, the University of California, the Annenberg School of Communications, and the Graduate School of Business of Stanford University.

Cialdini is CEO and President of Influence at Work, focusing on ethical influence training, corporate keynote programs, and the CMCT (Cialdini Method Certified Trainer) program.

His clients include such organizations as Google, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Bayer, Coca Cola, KPMG, AstraZeneca, Ericsson, Kodak, Merrill Lynch, Nationwide Insurance, Pfizer, AAA, Northern Trust, IBM, Prudential, Mayo Clinic, GlaxoSmithKline, Kimberly-Clark, Harvard University – Kennedy School, The Weather Channel, the United States Department of Justice, and NATO.

Established in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that, along with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine, provides science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations. Cialdini is among 100 new members and 25 foreign associates added to the society this year, including two other Arizona State University professors.

About the W. P. Carey School of Business
The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is one of the top-ranked business schools in the United States. The school is internationally regarded for its research productivity and its distinguished faculty members, including a Nobel Prize winner. Students come from more than 100 countries and W. P. Carey is represented by alumni in over 160 countries. Visit wpcarey.asu.edu.

For more information/media contact:
Shay Moser, W. P. Carey School of Business
Shay.Moser@asu.edu 480-965-3963