Matt Johnson, PhD is a speaker, writer, and researcher, specializing in the application of psychology and neuroscience to branding. Following his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Princeton University, his work has probed the science of brand storytelling, experiential marketing, and consumer decision-making. He is the author of the top-selling consumer psychology book, Blindsight: The (mostly) hidden ways marketing reshapes our brains (BenBella, 2020), and most recently, Branding That Means Business (Economist Books, Fall 2022). In 2023, he was inducted into Thinkers50 Radar as one of 30 “business thinkers with ideas most likely to shape the future."

As the founder of the Neuroscience of Branding blog, and as a contributor to major news outlets including Psychology Today, Forbes, and BBC, he regularly provides expert opinion and thought leadership on a range of topics related to the human side of business. Matt is also passionate about helping brands harness insights from neuroscience to better understand, serve, and interact with their consumers. To this end, he consults with a wide array of organizations, including as an expert in residence for Nike. Matt currently resides in Boston, MA, where he is a Professor of Psychology and Marketing at Hult International Business School, and an instructor at Harvard University’s Division of Continuing Education.

Matt grew up in The Bay Area, California, and has lived and worked in San Diego, New Jersey, Berlin and Shanghai.

"It's impossible to be too grateful. Striving toward one's professional goals is an important pursuit, but it's important to keep a broader perspective and to cultivate a sense of appreciation along the way. Everything in moderation, except for gratitude."

Matt is a facilitator of the GradFUTURES Business Skills for PhDs learning cohort

As someone who comes from academia and has spent a lot of time in the business world, I'm very passionate about fostering business skills amongst PhD graduates. Whether its pitching an idea, managing a project, or engaging in design thinking, business skills are extremely broad in their application and will set up graduates for success in a wide range of future endeavors. The GradFutures program at Princeton is special in its "MBA style" cohort, while enabling Ph.D. students to learn from an impressive roster of external business leaders and practitioners"

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Twitter: @mattjohnsonisme