Melissa Fisher, PhD

Melissa Fisher is a cultural anthropologist specializing in the study of work and the built and digital environment. She is a faculty member at Parsons School of Design at The New School and holds key external appointments, including as a Distinguished Principal Research Fellow at the Conference Board, Visiting Scholar at New York University's Institute for Public Knowledge as a Senior Advisor on Workplace Culture and Design at CFAR Consulting and Coaching Services. Dr. Fisher is the author of two influential books from Duke University Press: Frontiers of Capital: Ethnographic Reflections on the New Economy and Wall Street Women. Her current research is an ethnography examining how architects and other professionals are imagining and designing post-COVID work environments with a focus on equity and justice. This ongoing work builds on her extensive academic background, which includes full-time faculty positions at New York University, Georgetown University, and most recently, serving as the Laurits Andersen Professor of Business and Organizational Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen.

Beyond academia, Melissa is a frequent consultant, speaker, and contributor to outlets like Work Design Magazine, and in 2025 she was recognized by Avuity as one of the Top 65 CRE and Work Tech Experts to Follow on LinkedIn. In her consulting practice, she leverages insights from anthropology, sociology, design, and critical management to help organizations and individuals navigate complex cultural, economic, and socio-technical challenges.