Robb Willer
Fellowship year
2012-13 - University of California, Berkeley - Study 12
Faculty Fellow year
2024-25 - Stanford University
2023-24 - Stanford University
As a faculty fellow, Robb Willer will work on a project using Large Language Models (LLMs) to simulate experimental results in the social sciences. The forthcoming year will see him exploring the application of LLMs to political research, social science methodology, and the promotion of psychological well-being.
Willer is a professor of sociology, psychology and organizational behavior at Stanford University. His work is focused on strategies for overcoming political divisions to foster social change. He employs diverse methods in his research, including survey and behavioral experiments, large language models, natural language processing, and social network analysis. Willer’s research has published in a broad range of outlets, including Science, Nature, PNAS, the American Sociological Review, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Administrative Science Quarterly. His popular writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Vox, and CNN. His TED talk “How to Have Better Political Conversations” has been viewed over three million times. Outside of his academic research, Willer consults for several organizations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the AFL-CIO, the Department of Justice, and two presidential campaigns. Willer was a CASBS fellow in 2012-13 and 2020-21.
Tyler Journal Articles
Feinberg, Matthew; Antonenko, Olga; Willer, Robb; Horberg, E. J.; John, Oliver P.; . 2014. Gut check: Reappraisal of disgust helps explain liberal-conservative differences on issues of purity. 14(3): 513-521.
Simpson, Brent; Willer, Robb; Ridgeway, Cecilia L.; . 2012. Status hierarchies and the organization of collective action. 30(3): 149-166. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735275112457912
Willer, Robb; Conlon, Bridget; Rogalin, Christabel L.; Wojnowicz, Michael T.; . 2013. Overdoing gender: A test of the masculine overcompensation thesis. 118(4): 980-1022. https://doi.org/10.1086/668417
Leong, Yuan Chang; Chen, Janice; Willer, Robb; Zaki, Jamil; . 2020. Conservative and liberal attitudes drive polarized neural responses to political content. 117(44): 27731-27739. http://www.pnas.org/content/117/44/27731.abstract
Young, Olga Antonenko; Willer, Robb; Keltner, Dacher; . 2013. "Thou shalt not kill": Religious fundamentalism, conservatism, and rule-based moral processing. 5(2): 110-115.
Côté, Stéphane; Piff, Paul K.; Willer, Robb; . 2013. For whom do the ends justify the means? Social class and utilitarian moral judgment. 104(3): 490-503.
Simpson, Brent; Harrell, Ashley; . 2013. Hidden paths from morality to cooperation: Moral judgments promote trust and trustworthiness. 91(4): 1529-1548. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sot015
Saslow, Laura R.; Willer, Robb; Feinberg, Matthew; Piff, Paul K.; Clark, Katharine; Keltner, Dacher; Saturn, Sarina R.; . 2013. My Brother's Keeper?: Compassion Predicts Generosity More Among Less Religious Individuals. 4(1): 31-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550612444137
Feinberg, Matthew; Willer, Robb; . 2013. The Moral Roots of Environmental Attitudes. 24(1): 56-62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612449177