Official Story
Dr. Eric Knowles received his B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from Cornell University. As an undergraduate, he became interested in how humans represent different kinds of categories and assisted Dr. Frank Keil in research on conceptual development. Knowles then attended the University of California, Berkeley, where his advisor was Dr. Alison Gopnik. At Berkeley, his research interests shifted toward the intersection of Theory of Mind, social psychology, and intergroup prejudice. After receiving his Ph.D., Knowles co-directed the Behavioral Laboratory at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he worked closely with Dr. Brian Lowery on research into prejudice, hierarchy, and political beliefs. Knowles subsequently began as an assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine, before moving to New York University, where he directs the Politics and Intergroup Relations Laboratory.
Unofficial Story
I’ve always loved science fiction and outer space. So, not surprisingly, I thought I would become an astrophysicist or astronomer. Tragically, however, I wasn’t great at calculus and felt I needed to pick a new field. The first class I loved (and did well in) was Introduction to Philosophy, so I became a Philosophy major. Around the same time, my best friend was taking psychology classes, and this sounded interesting to me. (How does memory work? What’s up with consciousness? Why do people kill each other?) After taking a class or two, I added the Psychology major and became a research assistant in Frank Keil’s lab studying the development of natural-kind concepts, which felt like a nice combination of my philosophical and psychological interests. After college, I took a year off, worked at a Barnes and Noble in San Diego, and went on a cycling trip in Ireland with my brother. I was then ready to go back to school. After my gap year, I went to Berkeley to study cognitive development with Alison Gopnik. I moved to Oakland, which was vibrant, artsy—and highly segregated. Living on a street with only working-class Black and African American neighbors got me thinking about my advantaged place in the American racial hierarchy. This firsthand experience contributed to my growing interest in social issues, and I left Alison’s lab to go into social psychology (she never held it against me!). My postdoc at Stanford GSB gave me the chance to really focus on the issues that mattered to me—namely, the psychology of hierarchy and the ways in which dominant-group members defend their privileges—under the mentorship of Brian Lowery. My first faculty job was at UC Irvine. Despite having next to no clue how to be an assistant professor, I miraculously managed to get a job offer from NYU a few years later. NYU provided me with the resources I needed to expand my research into social class and perception of economic inequality. My greatest joy in this job is working with students and postdocs, whose enthusiasm, creativity, and lack of cynicism inspire me every day. My biggest honor was being declared the “Mayor of Happy Hour” for being the faculty member who most reliably attends the social students’ and postdocs’ Tuesday get-together at Peculiar Pub.