Laura K. Hildebrand
Presidential Postdoctoral Scholar
10+ Years of Quantitative & Qualitative Research Experience
Presidential Postdoctoral Scholar
10+ Years of Quantitative & Qualitative Research Experience
Welcome!
My name is Laura Hildebrand, and I'm currently a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at The Ohio State University (OSU). I completed my PhD at Purdue University in 2022. I have additional certificates in Advanced Psychological Statistics, Instructional Excellence, and Multilevel Modeling.
I am a behavioral scientist with 10+ years of experience using quantitative and qualitative research experience (e.g., surveys, experiments, focus groups, data analysis) to understand people’s attitudes, motivations, and behavior. As a skilled speaker and writer, I delight in translating complex findings into tangible outcomes and actionable recommendations.
Highlights
Research Experience: Behavioral Science & People Analytics
Designed, executed, and analyzed 30+ new surveys and experiments investigating attitudes, motivation, and behavior
Conducted basic (e.g., descriptive analyses, correlation) and complex (e.g., structural equation modeling, regression, multilevel modeling, latent growth curve, LLM) analyses
Led 30+ junior scientists on improving survey design, collecting/analyzing data, and writing reports
Secured $450,000+ in grant funding to examine intergroup- and identity-based conflicts
Authored 10 peer-reviewed, scientific reports on data-driven strategies for changing attitudes & behaviors
Included data visualization (e.g., tables, charts), analysis, non-technical writing
Translated complex findings into clear, data-driven recommendations for a variety of audiences & stakeholders
Subject Matter Expert: Diversity, Culture, & Inclusion
Consulted on data-driven strategies for improving company culture and employee attitudes across a variety of fields (e.g., management, STEM, educational)
Advised university committees on applying diversity-related research to real-world educational settings
Developed 2 large-scale, data-driven, strategic interventions, implemented among 7,000+ students
Increased bias awareness by 11%
Increased comfort with interacting with diverse groups by 5%
Increased GPA among students of color by 10%
Conducted 14 studies, gave 5 talks, and on the effect of organizational diversity initiatives and policies on employee/customer perceptions
Taught college courses (~230) on social science research (e.g., research on diversity and inclusion) & its relevance in the real-world
Research Interests
A company struggles to recruit and retain employees of color. A woman decides whether to say something after a friend makes a sexist joke. A hiring committee struggles with its own biases after attending a workshop on ageism. These examples illustrate how intergroup- and identity-based conflicts disrupt and negatively impact interpersonal and organizational outcomes.
I draw on the scientific study of prejudice reduction, conflict resolution, and positive intergroup relations to examine causes of and resolution strategies for such conflicts. Under this unifying theme, I have two research lines examining (1) difficult conversations about bias (e.g., confrontation) and (2) subtle, often ironic factors that influence reactions to and outcomes of organizational inclusion cues (e.g., diversity initiatives, policies).
I use an interdisciplinary (i.e., prejudice reduction, identity management, organizational behavior, close relationships, motivation), multimethod (i.e., field studies, archival data, experiments, interventions, statistical modeling), and multilevel (i.e., interpersonal, organizational) approach. By using this approach, my research both contributes to existing theory and offers practical recommendations for real-world environments .