Dr. Neil Hester

Biography

Neil Hester is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University and completed his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research investigates the factors that influence how individuals form impressions of others based on perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, competence, and threat. He explores topics such as stereotyping, discrimination, social categorization, and face perception, addressing critical issues in measurement and causal inference within the domain of person perception. Hester employs a combination of experimental methods, secondary analysis of large datasets, simulations, and mixed methods in his research. His work integrates key theories from social psychology, including intersectionality theory. Hester has made significant contributions to the field, as evidenced by his publications, which include studies on impression formation and the impacts of clothing on perceptions.

Research Interests