Duckworth Named a Public Influencer by Education Week

Angela Duckworth, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology, was included in the top 10 of Education Week’s 2020 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings. The list, created by Rick Hess, the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, recognizes scholars whose work shapes public discussion around education.

Duckworth is an internationally recognized scholar of positive psychology and the psychology of achievement. She is widely known for her role in developing and advancing the concept of grit—the ability to maintain effort toward long-term goals—and self-control as factors in the pursuit and attainment of valued goals. She is a prolific author whose research is published in leading scientific journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Psychology, and the Journal of Positive Psychology. Her first book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, debuted as a New York Times bestseller.

Duckworth is a recipient of a MacArthur “genius grant” fellowship. She is also founder and scientific director of the Character Lab, a nonprofit located on Penn’s campus whose mission is to advance the science and practice of character development.