He acknowledged this is a departure from his earlier career as a tenured professor in computer science at two elite universities: Carnegie-Mellon and Stanford universities.

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The study, by Professor Lauren Rivera, looked at hiring in elite investment banks, law firms and management consulting firms.

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They were "reflective of who was in charge of controlling these national narratives: white, elite, masculine, " said Alison Fields, an art history professor at the University of Oklahoma.

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Professor K. Anders Ericsson and his colleagues at Florida State University have studied elite performers, including musicians, athletes, actors and chess players.

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