Bio

Christy Ley is a PhD Candidate in the Sociology Department at Harvard University and a Doctoral Fellow in the Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality and Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Recently, she was also a Research Associate in the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School

Broadly, Ley's doctoral research examines organizational behavior and the life sciences industry. Her dissertation, in particular, focuses on career experiences and success strategies across science, engineering, business, and finance professions within the life sciences industry. Drawing on original in-depth interview and ethnographic data, she analyzes the experiences of professionals across the industry's field of biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies; venture capital (VC) firms and angel groups funding biotech start-ups; contract research/manufacturing organizations (CROs/CMOs); and life sciences law and consulting firms.

At Harvard Business School (HBS), Ley worked on social psychological research that examines individuals' identities and their implications for careers, work performance, and organizational outcomes. Her work focused on experimental survey design, data analytics, and academic and HBS case study writing.

As a teaching fellow at Harvard, Ley has taught undergraduate and graduate students on organizational behavior, shareholder value management, and qualitative methodology, and advised several students' honors theses on related topics.

Prior to the PhD program, Ley worked as a legal analyst at BlackRock, the global investment management company. She holds a BA in Sociology (magna cum laude) from Cornell University and an MA in Sociology from Harvard University.