Hale Forster is a Ph.D. student in the Psychology department at Columbia University, where she also conducts research in the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions and the Center for Decision Sciences. Her research focuses on behavior change and decision making, with an emphasis on understanding and encouraging sustainable energy use behaviors using a combination of lab and field research.

She is currently researching the effect of messages that activate environmental motivations on energy saving choices. This research examines the mechanisms through which environmental messages can lead to behavior change, including influencing how people make decisions (via activating different decision modes) and understanding how these messages activate a range of environmental identities.

She also studies how social environments can foster behavior change. Prior to joining Columbia, Hale was a Senior Consultant at an energy market research firm. She has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Oregon.