Kristina Wald

Lecturer

Contact Information

Primary Email:
waldk@wharton.upenn.edu

Research Interests: impression management; trust; communication; social interaction

Overview

Kristina Wald is a postdoctoral lecturer and researcher in the Operations, Information, and Decisions department at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She studies impression management, trust, and communication, with the goal of improving interpersonal and organizational outcomes. Some of her main research examines the role perceived self-awareness in social perception and trust formation. In other work, she has examined other facets of social perception, such as how we evaluate others’ failures and emotional displays, as well as various aspects of communication and conversations, such as how to effectively engage with those who disagree with us. Kristina’s work has been published in academic journals such as Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Psychological Science, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Kristina also teaches Negotiations to undergraduates at Wharton. Prior to Wharton, she received a PhD in Behavioral Science from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and a B.A. in Psychology and Economics from Columbia University. Outside of work, Kristina enjoys doing mindfulness meditation, watching dating-themed reality TV shows, and trying her hand at improv.

Teaching

All Courses

LGST2910 - Negotiations
This course examines the art and science of negotiation, with additional emphasis on conflict resolution. Students will engage in a number of simulated negotiations ranging from simple one-issue transactions to multi-party joint ventures. Through these exercises and associated readings, students explore the basic theoretical models of bargaining and have an opportunity to test and improve their negotiation skills.
MGMT2910 - Negotiations
This course examines the art and science of negotiation, with additional emphasis on conflict resolution. Students will engage in a number of simulated negotiations ranging from simple one-issue transactions to multi-party joint ventures. Through these exercises and associated readings, students explore the basic theoretical models of bargaining and have an opportunity to test and improve their negotiation skills.
OIDD2910 - Negotiations
This course examines the art and science of negotiation, with additional emphasis on conflict resolution. Students will engage in a number of simulated negotiations ranging from simple one-issue transactions to multi-party joint ventures. Through these exercises and associated readings, students explore the basic theoretical models of bargaining and have an opportunity to test and improve their negotiation skills.

Knowledge at Wharton

The Wharton Blueprint for AI Agent Adoption

A new report from Wharton Human-AI Research and Science Says explores how to overcome trust barriers and speed the adoption of AI agents, using insights from behavioral science and real-world deployments.…Read More

Knowledge @ Wharton - 4/21/2026

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Knowledge @ Wharton - 4/20/2026

How Municipal Financial Advisors Evolved Over Time

Wharton's Daniel Garrett explains how municipal financial advisors influence government decisions and the evolution of this role over the past 20 years.…Read More