Peter McGraw

Dr. Peter McGraw, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, is a leading expert in the interdisciplinary fields of emotion and behavioral decision theory. His research examines the interrelationship of judgment, emotion and choice, with a focus on consumer behavior, public policy, and his latest obsession – what makes things funny.

Holding appointments in marketing at the Leeds School of Business and in social psychology in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, McGraw teaches courses in consumer behavior, decision making, and advertising. He has published over forty academic papers in outlets such as Psychological Science, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Management Science. McGraw’s work has been covered by NPR, Nightline, the BBC, Wired, Scientific American, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times.

McGraw’s latest claim to fame is he made the Stylish Scientist List – probably because he likes to rock a sweater vest.

Workshop Name: Humor Hackathon

Workshop Date & Time: May 2, 8:00am – 12:00pm

Description: Want to improve your funny bone? Come learn what makes things funny – and test your ability to make things that help make the world a funnier place. You’ll learn that you need to bring together people to create products that are A) humorous or B) help people learn and practice how to be humorous.

In a Nutshell

– Learn the scientific underpinnings of comedy
– Form a team to “Hack” together a humor “product”
– Have fun
– Present your product to judges and see who wins!

Keynote: Peter McGraw

Keynote Date & Time: May 2, 1:00pm – 1:20pm, May 3, 9:15am – 9:45am

Description: Dr. Peter McGraw is an associate professor of marketing and psychology at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. As a behavioral scientist, his research examines the interrelationship of judgment, emotion, and choice—with a focus on the production and consumption of entertainment. McGraw directs The Humor Research Lab (HuRL) and is the co-author of The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny. His research has been covered by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TIME NPR, BBC, and CNN. His work appears in the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science, Psychological Science, and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. He is currently trying to kick a sweater vest habit – even if it does get him kicked off the Stylist Scientist List.