ABOUT ME

I am a Senior Research Fellow in Social Psychology at Stanford University, with joint appointments in the Stanford Mind & Body Lab and the Polarization and Social Change Lab. I received my PhD in Political Science from Stanford University in 2024 and my BA from Dartmouth College in 2018, where I was valedictorian of my graduating class.

My career has followed a somewhat unconventional path. While my doctorate is in political science, I learned over the course of my training that the methodologies and theories used to examine interesting questions in the social sciences are applicable across fields. I also learned that the best research is a product of both skill and passion, and I have charted a path that allows me to study the topics that I care most about. In my current work, I therefore use surveys and experiments to study attitudes, beliefs, and behavior in two key areas: athlete/health psychology and political psychology. The following is a subset of questions that drive my current research in these domains:

How do beliefs about the capability and function of our bodies influence our health?
How do mindsets about stress, resilience, exercise, and health vary across athletes and non-athletes?
What factors drive high sport dropout rates among young female athletes?
How can beliefs about the threat democratic collapse be leveraged to strengthen democracy?
What attitudinal strategies are most effective at increasing support for democratic reforms?

My research has been published or is forthcoming at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Political Science Research and Methods, Research and Politics, Political Behavior, and the Journal of Experimental Political Science, among others, and has received coverage in a variety of major media outlets. My book, Campus Diversity: The Hidden Consensus, was published at Cambridge University Press in 2020. You can find a copy of my CV here.

At Stanford, I also collaborate with the Stress, Resilience, Emotion, and Mood Lab (StREaM), the Female Athlete Science and Translational Research Program (FASTR), and the Center for American Democracy (SCAD) at the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS). Outside of my work in the social sciences, I am a competitive triathlete, endurance coach, and podcaster—experiences which drive my interest in athlete and health psychology. For triathlon coaching inquiries, please visit https://www.theendurancedrive.com/.

You can contact me at kpc14@stanford.edu or kclayton91496@gmail.com.