Baruch Fischhoff
Howard Heinz University Professor, Engineering and Public Policy, Institute for Politics and Strategy
Baruch Fischhoff is the Howard Heinz University Professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Security and Technology (CMIST). A graduate of the Detroit Public Schools, he holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Psychology from Wayne State University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and of the National Academy of Medicine. He is the past president of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making and of the Society for Risk Analysis, and a recipient of its Distinguished Achievement Award. He was founding chair of the Food and Drug Administration Risk Communication Advisory Committee and recently chaired the National Research Council Committee on Behavioral and Social Science Research to Improve Intelligence Analysis for National Security and co-chaired the National Research Council Committee on Future Research Goals and Directions for Foundational Science in Cybersecurity and the National Academy of Sciences Sackler Colloquium on “The Science of Science Communication.” He is a former member of the Eugene, Oregon Commission on the Rights of Women, Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Advisory Committee, the World Federation of Scientists Permanent Monitoring Panel on Terrorism, and the Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board, where he chaired the Homeland Security Advisory Committee.
Fischhoff is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Experimental Psychologists, and the Society for Risk Analysis. He has received APA’s Award for Distinguished Service to Psychology and an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Lund University. He has co-authored or edited, Acceptable Risk (1981), A Two-State Solution in the Middle East: Prospects and Possibilities (1993), Elicitation of Preferences (2000), Risk Communication: A Mental Models Approach (2002), Intelligence Analysis: Behavioral and Social Science Foundations (2011), Risk: A Very Short Introduction (2011), Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based Guide (2011), Judgment and Decision Making (2011), Risk Analysis and Human Behavior (2011), The Science of Science Communication I (2013) and II [bf1] (2014), and Counting Civilian Casualties (2013).
Education
1975 Ph.D., Psychology, The Hebrew University
1972 MS, Psychology, The Hebrew University
1967 BS, Mathematics and Psychology, Wayne State University
Affiliations
Media mentions
The Washington Post
Fischhoff talks to The Washington Post about how social science intersects with climate change
EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff talks to The Washington Post about how social science intersects with climate change. “We basically were no longer at the table for the next quarter-century,” he says. “The natural scientists trusted their story would tell [itself]. … We blew it.”
STAT News
Fischhoff publishes op-ed in STAT News on prescription information
EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff published an op-ed in STAT News regarding prescription information and the FDA’s involvement.
The New York Times
Fischhoff comments on nuclear scenarios and decision making
EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff comments on nuclear scenarios and decision making in The New York Times. “To go from there to giving advice on the fate of the world—I don’t think so,” he says.
NBC News
Fischhoff comments on country’s response to natural disasters
EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff says the Maui fires have revealed the country’s ability to handle extreme weather events.
USA Today
Fischhoff contributes to book on COVID response
EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff, as part of a coalition of interdisciplinary experts known as the COVID Crisis Group, has released a book analyzing the US pandemic response and making recommendations to be better prepared for the future.
Stat News
Fischhoff publishes an article on randomized control trial efficacy in Stat News
Fischhoff recently co-authored an article that was published in Stat News on randomized control trial efficacy and the test’s implications during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Christian Monitor
Fischhoff talks to The Christian Science Monitor about lessons learned from COVID-19
EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff talks to The Christian Science Monitor about COVID-19 and the lessons we learned about the way the pandemic was handled.
CMU Engineering
Fischhoff co-authors report on lessons from COVID
Baruch Fischhoff co-authored The COVID War, a book evaluating the effectiveness of the government’s COVID response efforts.
Toronto Sun
Fischhoff discusses indecision and intelligence
In the Toronto Sun, EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff commented on a study showing that indecision might be a sign of intelligence.
Bloomberg
Fischhoff quoted on CDC Covid response
EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff spoke with Bloomberg about the CDC’s response to Covid. He says that the CDC did not do enough to give people detailed information about Covid risks.
2022 Faculty Awards announced
The 2022 Engineering Faculty Awards winners have been announced.
The Sacramento Bee
Fischhoff quoted on risk evaluation in pandemic's current stage
EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff was quoted in the Sacramento Bee on public risk evaluation at the current stage of the COVID pandemic. “What’s generally true is that people do things that they think are worth the effort,” he said.