Zakary Tormala

Professor, Marketing
+1 (650) 723-1892
CV

Zakary Tormala

The Laurence W. Lane Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing

Academic Area:

Research Statement

Professor Tormala is an experimental social psychologist who works in the areas of attitudes, persuasion, and social influence. His research on these topics seeks to shed light on the factors that open and close attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to change.

Research Interests

  • Attitudes
  • Persuasion
  • Social influence
  • Psychological certainty
  • Advocacy

Teaching Statement

Professor Tormala teaches MBA and PhD courses on the topics of attitude change and persuasion.

Bio

Professor Tormala received a BA in psychology from Arizona State University in 1996 and earned his PhD in social psychology from Ohio State University in 2003. From 2003-2007, Tormala served as an assistant professor of social psychology at Indiana University. In 2007, he joined the Stanford faculty as an associate professor in Stanford Graduate School of Business. Tormala’s research focuses primarily on the topics of attitudes, persuasion, and social influence. He specializes in conducting lab and field experiments designed to enhance our understanding of attitude, belief, and behavior change. Tormala publishes extensively on these topics and has served on the editorial boards of the leading scientific journals in his field. For his contribution to scholarly research, Tormala received the Society for Consumer Psychology’s Early Career Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution in 2008 and was named to the Marketing Science Institute’s list of Young Scholars in 2009. He is also an elected fellow of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and the Society for Experimental Social Psychology. At Stanford, Professor Tormala teaches courses on persuasion in the MBA program, the PhD program, and numerous executive education programs.

Academic Degrees

  • PhD in Psychology, The Ohio State University, 2003
  • MA in Psychology, The Ohio State University, 1999
  • BA in Psychology, Arizona State University, 1996

Academic Appointments

  • Laurence W. Lane Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing, Stanford GSB, 2019
  • Professor of Marketing, Stanford GSB, 2015
  • Associate Professor with tenure, Stanford GSB, 2011
  • Associate Professor, Stanford GSB, 2007
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, 2003

Awards and Honors

  • Business School Trust Faculty Fellow for 2021–22
  • Elected Fellow, Society for Personality and Social Psychology
  • Elected Fellow, Society of Experimental Social Psychology
  • Early Career Award, Society for Consumer Psychology
  • Marketing Science Institute Young Scholar

Publications

Journal Articles

Teaching

Executive Education & Other Non-Degree Programs

Understand the psychology of persuasion to influence meaningful organizational and behavioral change. Learn persuasive techniques for optimal outcomes.
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Service to the Profession

  • Associate Editor, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2013-2017
  • Associate Editor, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2011-2012
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Consumer Research, 2011-2014, 2018-2022
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2009-2012, 2017-
  • Editorial Board, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2008-2011
  • Editorial Board, Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2018-2021
  • Co-Editor, Consumer Psychology Review, 2020-2022

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