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Psychology speaker Abigail Marsh

Abigail Marsh

Foremost Expert on the Neuroscience of Fear, Altruism & Courage | Georgetown Professor | Author of 'The Fear Factor' | Award-Winning Neuroscientist & TED Speaker

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Speaker Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., is a Georgetown professor and leading neuroscientist on fear, empathy, and altruism, author of the award-winning 'The Fear Factor.' Her research explains why some people act with extraordinary courage and kindness toward strangers. Senior audiences gain science-based strategies for empathic leadership, fearless innovation, and team resilience.

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    Abigail Marsh biography

    Speaker Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the neuroscience of fear, empathy, and altruism, and a Professor of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, and Cognitive Science at Georgetown University. She directs the Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience, where her team conducts behavioral, genetic, and brain imaging research on how people understand others’ emotions, why some individuals act with extraordinary altruism toward strangers, and how the same neural systems can fail in psychopathy.

    Her research is published across more than 90 papers in journals including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature Human Behaviour, American Journal of Psychiatry, and JAMA Psychiatry. Her award-winning book “The Fear Factor: How One Emotion Connects Altruists, Psychopaths, and Everyone In-Between” (published as “Good for Nothing” in the UK) earned the 2018 Book Prize for the Promotion of Social and Personality Science and has reframed how scientists and audiences think about the biology of courage and kindness.

    From the Lab to the Stage

    Recognized as a leading woman in STEM, Marsh is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and a recipient of the Cozzarelli Prize for scientific excellence, the S&R Kuno Award for Applied Science for the Social Good, and the Richard J. Wyatt Fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health for translational research. In 2022 she was honored as Georgetown’s “most admired and respected” instructor. She serves on the boards of One Day Sooner and the National Kidney Donation Organization and is co-founder and vice-president of the non-profit Psychopathy Is. Her widely viewed TED talk has introduced millions to her work on the brains of extreme altruists. She earned her BA from Dartmouth, her Ph.D. from Harvard, and completed her postdoctoral training at NIMH.

    As a speaker, Abigail Marsh translates rigorous neuroscience into practical insight for organizations that depend on empathy, courage, and trust. She is profiled among the leading psychology speakers in the world, and her keynotes help leaders raise their teams’ capacity for empathic communication, fearless innovation, and acts of moral courage in moments that matter.

    Abigail Marsh Speaking Videos

    Abigail Marsh - Why some people are more altruistic than others
    Abigail Marsh - She studied extreme psychopaths. Here’s what it taught her about human nature

    Abigail Marsh Speaking Topics

    Empathy has become one of the most valued skills in modern leadership, yet most teams treat it as an instinct rather than a trainable capacity. Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., draws on years of research at Georgetown's Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience to show audiences how the brain processes others' emotions and why supporting colleagues turns out to be a self-reinforcing reward rather than a sacrifice. The keynote gives leaders evidence-based practices to build psychologically safer teams, improve cross-functional trust, and convert empathic communication into a measurable performance advantage.

    Why do some people step forward in moments of crisis while others freeze? Through her research with extreme altruists, including people who have donated kidneys to strangers, Abigail Marsh has shown that the brains of heroes look measurably different, particularly in the amygdala. In this keynote she shares the science behind heroic action, the surprising role fear plays in courageous behavior, and the techniques her interviews have surfaced for reducing selfish defaults and increasing comfort with risk. The result is an uplifting reframe of courage as a capacity any individual, team, or organization can develop.

    Volatility, uncertainty, and constant change have made fear a permanent feature of the modern workplace. Drawing on her award-winning book 'The Fear Factor' and hundreds of interviews with people who performed remarkable acts of courage, Abigail Marsh equips leaders with concrete tools for keeping fear from spiraling out of control. She walks audiences through gratitude practices, deliberate exposure exercises, and humility-driven habits that her research links to greater resilience and kindness. The takeaway is a practical playbook for building teams that can hold steady, decide clearly, and act on principle when the stakes rise.

    Every executive wants a culture where people speak up, take smart risks, and challenge the status quo, but few understand the brain science that makes such a culture possible. Abigail Marsh shows leaders how altruistic and heroic behavior share neural roots with creative risk-taking, and how those circuits can be strengthened. The session combines fresh findings from her lab with case studies from extreme altruists to give executives a clear framework for identifying opportunities, managing fear, and building the psychological safety required for genuinely fearless innovation.

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    FAQs on Booking Abigail Marsh

    Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., brings to the stage what very few speakers can offer: original neuroscience research, conducted with extreme altruists, psychopaths, and ordinary people, that fundamentally changes how organizations think about courage, empathy, and risk. She is a Georgetown professor, an award-winning author, and one of the most cited researchers on the biology of human kindness. Her keynotes pair scientific rigor with rare warmth and accessibility, leaving senior audiences with both a new mental model and practical practices they can apply on Monday morning. Book Abigail Marsh through Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring a singular voice on fear, empathy, and human courage to your next event.

    Abigail Marsh studies the neuroscience of fear, empathy, altruism, and aggression at Georgetown University's Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience. Her research, published in more than 90 papers in journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and JAMA Psychiatry, has shown that the brains of extreme altruists, such as people who donate kidneys to strangers, differ in measurable ways from the brains of psychopaths, particularly in the amygdala, the region responsible for processing fear.

    'The Fear Factor: How One Emotion Connects Altruists, Psychopaths, and Everyone In-Between' (2017), published in the UK as 'Good for Nothing,' is Abigail Marsh's award-winning book on the neuroscience of human extremes. It explains how a single brain mechanism, the way we respond to fear in ourselves and recognize it in others, links the most selfless and most callous people on the human spectrum, and what that means for how we raise courage and kindness in everyday life. The book received the 2018 Book Prize for the Promotion of Social and Personality Science.

    Companies bring Abigail Marsh in for leadership summits, culture and people-first events, healthcare and innovation conferences, and any program focused on courage, empathy, psychological safety, or change. Her sessions translate dense neuroscience into clear, applicable strategies for senior teams. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to discuss tailoring her content to your audience and to confirm her availability and fee for your event.

    Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Abigail Marsh as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Abigail Marsh's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Abigail Marsh or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.

    Abigail Marsh speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Abigail Marsh to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Abigail Marsh.

    We only work with Abigail Marsh on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Abigail Marsh and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Abigail Marsh speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Abigail Marsh for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.

    Yes, Abigail Marsh is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Abigail Marsh for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.