TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Social psychologist and consumer behaviorist Dr. Jill Sundie will speak on “Peacocks, Porsches and Public Displays of Wealth: An Evolutionary Perspective on Consumer Behaviors” at The University of Alabama Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in 127 Biology Building Auditorium.

Sundie’s lecture is part of an ongoing UA lecture series on evolution.

Sundie, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Houston, specializes in the effect of social influence on consumer behavior and decision making, and her findings have been published in the Journal of Personality & Psychology. Her current research combines evolutionary psychology with consumer behavior theory for the purpose of studying conspicuous consumption, behavioral economics and consumer choice.

Sundie received her doctorate in social psychology from Arizona State University and her master’s degree in economics from the University of Southern California. Prior to completing her doctorate, she worked at The Vanguard Group, an investment management firm. She has also served as a consultant and director of communication for Thomas, Warren + Associates, an economic consulting firm.

This lecture begins a third year of speakers from The Alabama Lectures on Life’s Evolution (ALLELE) series. The series is supported with private grants from the Frank and Barbara Peters Foundation, Lou Perry, and Eric Hopkins of Orange County, California; by UA’s College of Arts and Sciences; and others.

The lectures are designed for a non-technical audience and are free and open to the public.

The College of Arts and Sciences is Alabama’s largest liberal arts college and the University’s largest division with 360 faculty and 7,600 students.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.