Published: May 18, 2003

CU-Boulder marketing Professor Dipankar Chakravarti has been elected president for 2003-04 of the Society for Consumer Psychology, a premier organization of consumer researchers from academia, government and industry.

Professor Chakravarti is the Ortloff Professor of Business at the CU-Boulder Leeds School of business and served as interim dean of the school in1998-99. He has written extensively on managerial and consumer decision-making issues in marketing and has received several research awards and recognitions from the Society for Consumer Psychology, the Association for Consumer Research and the American Marketing Association.

"This is a great and well-deserved honor and brings important recognition to the Leeds School of Business and the University of Colorado," said Dean Steven Manaster. "Particularly noteworthy is that while this award recognizes his contributions and stature in the field of consumer behavior, Professor Chakravarti also is a noted expert in marketing strategy and marketing models," Manaster said, noting his "breadth of expertise."

Chakravarti has served as editor of the Journal of Consumer Psychology and is a member of several editorial review boards. In 2002, he was named a Fellow of the Society for Consumer Psychology in recognition of his contributions and leadership in the field.

Chakravarti succeeds Professor Paul Herr as the second consecutive CU-Boulder marketing faculty member to be elected president of the society. During his term, he intends to focus on interdisciplinary outreach that enhances the voice and influence of the consumer psychology community in academe, industry and governments worldwide. In particular, he hopes to initiate programs that create greater access for consumer researchers interested in the psychological facets of global issues such as poverty and consumption.

"Consumer psychologists around the world have important contributions to make in these areas and SCP can serve as an important forum for such contributions," Chakravarti said.

The Society for Consumer Psychology, a division of the American Psychological Association, is a premier organization of consumer researchers from academia, government and industry. It is dedicated to the advancement of basic and applied knowledge regarding the psychological principles governing consumer behavior and marketing.

Chakravarti holds a bachelor of science degree with honors in physics from the University of Calcutta, India, and a master's and doctorate from Carnegie-Mellon University.