In 1991, he received his PhD from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. In 1985, he received a BS in Psychology from the University of Washington. Dr. Tripp studies conflict resolution, especially how people use fairness to mitigate power differentials during negotiations. He has also written on related issues of power abuse, distrust, revenge, impression management, and defamation within organizations. Nevertheless, he maintains optimism regarding organizational life. His work has appeared in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, Social Justice Research, Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, Research on Negotiations in Organizations, and the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.