Michael Platt, PhD is Director of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, James S. Riepe University Professor for the Marketing Department, Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Psychology, and School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael received his BA from Yale and his Ph.D. at Penn and a post-doctoral fellowship in neuroscience at NYU.
Michael is a scientist known for asking the most challenging questions in 21st century in neuroscience and conceiving innovative ways to find the answers. Principally focused on the biological mechanisms that underlie decision-making and social interaction, with broad-scale implications for improving health, welfare, and business in societies worldwide. His broad expertise includes anthropology, psychology, economics, evolutionary biology, ethology, marketing, business, management, finance, innovation, and elite performance.
His work has been supported by the NIH, Klingenstein Foundation, McDonnell Foundation, EJLB Foundation, Simons Foundation, Kaufman Foundation, Department of Defense, etc. He won and renewed, a MERIT award from the National Institute of Mental Health, and was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow. He is author of “The Leader’s Brain” (Wharton Press) and written >160 peer-reviewed papers, >60 review and opinion papers, and his work has been cited >20,000 times. A revered instructor, Michael won the Master Teacher/Clinician Award from the Duke University School of Medicine and the Teaching Commitment & Curricular Innovation Award from the Wharton School.
Michael created and directs the executive education course “Neuroscience of Business” and the online course “Neuroscience in Business” for Wharton Executive Education. Michael’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, the Guardian, and National Geographic, as well as on ABC’s Good Morning America, NPR, CBC, BBC, MTV, and HBO Vice. He currently serves on the scientific advisory boards at the Yang-Tan Autism Centers at MIT and Harvard, served on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Brain Science, and was President of the Society for Neuroeconomics, and consulted on The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky. Michael also co-founded Cogwear Technologies, a brain health and performance tech company. In addition, Michael is part of the advisory board of SpeakUp Now.
Relevant Topics for “ The Science of Friendship”
1. What’s a healthy friendship?
2. Why are friendships important?
3. Are social media relationships real?
4. How can we make friends?
Michael’s Resources
3. “The Leader’s Brain”