Kelly Goldsmith

Kelly Goldsmith

E. Bronson Ingram Chair, Professor of Marketing
Faculty Director, Hoogland Undergraduate Business Program

Research Interests/Areas of Expertise

Marketing, Consumer Psychology, Behavioral Science, ESG and Consumer Behavior, Scarcity, Uncertainty, Goals and Self-Regulation. 

Subject Areas

Marketing

Biography

Biography

Professor Goldsmith is a behavioral scientist whose research examines consumers’ psychological and behavioral responses to goals and threats. Her research is highly interdisciplinary in nature, drawing upon theories and methods from a variety of areas, including anthropology, cognitive and social psychology, economics, evolutionary biology, and marketing. Because her research bridges theory and practice, it contributes not only to theories of consumer decision making, but also to new techniques for marketers, firms, and policy makers. Professor Goldsmith’s work has appeared in several top marketing and psychology journals and has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including the BBC, Time Magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many more. Throughout her career, Goldsmith has been an award-winning teacher and researcher, first at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and now at Vanderbilt. In addition, she serves as the Faculty Director of the Hoogland Undergraduate Business Program and the Ingram Scholars Program.

Awards & Accomplishments

  • SEC Academic Leadership Development Program, 2023-2024
  • Research Productivity Award, 2021
  • Marketing Science Institute (MSI) Scholar, 2020
  • Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow, 2020-2022
  • Vanderbilt Strong Grant Winner, 2020
  • Dean’s Award for Teaching Winner, 2020
  • Provost Research Studio Grant Winner, 2019
  • Outstanding Prof. of the Year Award Nominee, 2013, 2019, 2020
  • JCR Outstanding Reviewer Award, 2017-2018
  • Faculty Impact Award Winner, 2017
  • Marketing Science Institute (MSI) Young Scholar, 2015
  • Research Chair (Clewett, 2012; McManus, 2014)
  • Sidney J. Levy Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2012, 2014
  • Levy and Weitz AMA Dissertation Competition Winner, 2009

Publications

Professor Goldsmith publishes frequently in top marketing journals, such as the Journal of Marketing Research and the Journal of Consumer Research. In addition, she has also published in top psychology journals.

On A Personal Note...

Professor Goldsmith was a contestant on the show Survivor.

Research Interests

  • Goals, Threats, and Self-regulation
  • The Psychology of Scarcity and Uncertainty 
  • Consumer Psychology for the Greater Good


Education

Ph.D., Yale University

M.Phil., Yale University

M.S., Yale University

B.S., Duke University