Press Releases Chicago Booth’s Ed O’Brien Wins 2020 SAGE Young Scholars Award
The annual award recognizes junior faculty who have demonstrated exceptional individual achievements in social and/or personality psychology; conducted research that places them at the forefront of their peers; and displayed innovation, creativity and potential to make a significant impact on the field.
- September 25, 2019
Ed O’Brien, associate professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, has been named a 2020 SAGE Young Scholars Award winner by the Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology (FPSP), in collaboration with SAGE Publications.
The annual award recognizes junior faculty who have demonstrated exceptional individual achievements in social and/or personality psychology; conducted research that places them at the forefront of their peers; and displayed innovation, creativity and potential to make a significant impact on the field.
O’Brien joined the Booth faculty in 2014 and studies how people perceive and experience change, and implications for wellbeing. For example, he has found that people are quicker to notice decline in the world than improvement, and in turn, he tests psychological strategies for boosting happiness (such as engaging in pro-social behavior). His research has been published in top journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Psychological Science, and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan, and is a summa cum laude psychology graduate of Saint Joseph’s University. While at Michigan, his accolades included a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. He is a past winner of the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the Early Career Award from the International Social Cognition Network (ISCON), and Top 40 Under 40 Most Outstanding Business School Professors from Poets & Quants.
O’Brien is one of eight 2020 SAGE Young Scholars who will be honored at a Thursday, February 27, 2020 awards ceremony in New Orleans during the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s (SPSP) annual convention. He will receive a one-time award of $5,000 to be used at his discretion for research, study or conference travel-related purposes.
Contact Booth Media Relations
Marielle Sainvilus
Director of Public Relations and Communications
Phone: 773.531.2894