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Michelle Twali

Michelle Twali

Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow

Applied Psychology

Michelle Twali is an incoming Assistant Professor/ Faculty Fellow in the Department of Applied Psychology at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Clark University in Worcester, MA, a Masters’ degree in Developmental Psychology from University of Utah, and a B.A in Psychology and Political Science from University of Ghana.

Michelle’s research examines the factors that contribute to the persistence of intergroup conflict and violence, and the ways of reducing it. Specifically, she focuses on the ways in which people make sense of their experiences of collective victimization and oppression, and how these beliefs predict their attitudes and behaviors towards other groups, engagement in collective action, and support or opposition to social justice policies. In addition, Michelle has consulted with non-governmental organizations to develop intervention programs that aim at reducing conflict and promoting intergroup relations (e.g., a mass media intervention in Juba, South Sudan and a micro-enterprise program among refugee and host communities in Nairobi, Kenya). Michelle conducts her research using multiple methods (e.g., interviews, focus groups, field experiments, surveys) and in multiple contexts (e.g., South Sudan, USA, Kenya).

Prior to joining NYU, Michelle was a postdoctoral research fellow at Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA) and the Princeton University.