I research the influence of culture on intergroup relations within organizations and society.

My research investigates a typically overlooked tension in intergroup relations: cultural defaults. I study how seemingly objective, neutral, and even positive default features of our cultural contexts contribute to real-world social problems, such as racial differences in mortgage approval rates and gender segregation in U.S. college majors and occupations. Using experimental methods and observational datasets, my research illuminates the consequences of cultural defaults in shaping both individual choices and beliefs, as well as broader group dynamics in organizations and society.

I earned my B.F.A., cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2010, completed Columbia University’s post-baccalaureate certificate program in Psychology in 2013, and earned my Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Washington in 2021. Prior to joining Yale, I was a post-doctoral research scholar at Columbia Business School.

Learn more about my research here or by emailing me, adriana.germano@yale.edu.