Columbia University diversity scholar Katherine W. Phillips will discuss how diversity benefits individuals, groups and organizations during an Oct. 17 talk sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Center for Diversity Innovation.

The talk, which is free of charge and open to the public, will take place from 3:30-5 p.m. in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus.

For more than 20 years, Phillips’ groundbreaking research has addressed the value of diversity and the barriers that prevent society, organizations and work teams from capturing the knowledge, perspectives and unique backgrounds of every member.

In her UB talk, Phillips will present evidence and insights into how to leverage diversity and inclusion to create excellence in groups and organizations so that all attendees can become more effective diversity advocates and change agents.

Phillips is the Reuben Mark Professor of Organizational Character and director of the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia. She is the author of the highly cited summary of empirical research on diversity entitled “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter,” published in Scientific American in 2014.