Lauren Kaufmann

My background in social finance inspires my research in understanding how mission-driven firms make and measure social and environmental impact. I use normative (philosophical) and empirical (qualitative, experimental) methods in my scholarship. Often, I collaborate with impact-oriented organizations — including impact investing funds, grant-making foundations, and consulting firms — to produce scholarship that is both academically rigorous and relevant to practicing managers. My research has been published in academic journals including Business Ethics Quarterly, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Business Ethics, and Organization Studies.

Before joining the Darden faculty in 2022, I earned my PhD in Applied Economics and Managerial Science from Wharton’s Business Ethics Department. At Wharton, I received the Winkelman Fellowship in Applied Economics, the school’s highest academic honorific. I also hold a MSc in Gender (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics. Earlier, I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Philosophy, a BA in English (Honors), and a minor in Classics (Latin). I was nominated and elected to Penn’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

Prior to entering academia, I worked in social finance in the US and UK, including at a gender lens investing think tank, a conservation-focused asset management firm, and with nonprofit research and consulting organizations.