In Memoriam: Nalini Ambady, 1959-2013

Nalini Ambady, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, died in Boston on October 28. She has been suffering from leukemia. Dr. Ambady was 54 years old.

A native of Calcutta in India, she earned a bachelor’s degree at Delhi University before coming to the United States. She held a master’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and a Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University. Professor Ambady was widely known for her research on the validity of people’s first impressions.

Dr. Ambady joined the Stanford faculty in 2011. She was the first woman from India to hold a faculty position in the university’s psychology department. Previously, she had taught at the College of the Holy Cross, Harvard University, and Tufts University.