Jennifer S. Lerner
Year Graduated: 
1998
Degree: 
Ph.D

I'm a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University.  As the first (and as yet only) psychologist to receive tenure in the history of the school, I am very busy sharing the insights that psychology brings to the design and practice of public policy.  It is a thrilling and challenging position to be in.  I am grateful for the opportunity to actively pursue my scientific research while also teaching public leaders who are eager to apply the fruits psychology has to offer.  I actively continue laboratory- and field-based research, working with a small but stellar group of students.  Of course, I also do my share of university service, serving on the Faculty Steering Committee of Harvard's Mind-Brain-Behavior Initiative and as a voting member of the main campus IRB.  Outside of campus life, I serve on an NIH expert panel, a corporate scientific advisory board, and as the first behavioral scientist on the Secretary of the Navy's Advisory Panel.  In this last capacity, I draw on behavioral science to advise the Secretary on critical matters facing the Navy and the Marine Corps.  First and foremost, I am a mom and a wife, enjoying the blessings of these roles.

During my wonderful doctoral-training years at Berkeley (social-personality), I benefitted enormously from fellow students and from the inspiring faculty:  Dacher Keltner, Phil Tetlock, Christina Maslach, Rob MacCoun, Shelley Zedeck, Geoff Keppel, Bob Levenson, Gerry Mendelsohn, Barb Mellers, and Oliver John -- to name a few.  I'm trying to live up to the high standards you set!