Arie Kruglanski Awarded for Distinguished Scientific Contributions

The American Psychological Association (APA) has named Arie Kruglanski, a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Psychology (PSYC), a 2025 recipient of its annual awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions.

The APA, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, typically selects just three people to receive this award each year, in recognition of the theoretical or empirical additions the individuals have made to psychological research.

“I am extremely pleased and humbled on being selected, yet the work for which this prize was awarded would not have been possible without the devotion, brilliance and scientific tenacity of my many students and collaborators,” said Kruglanski. “They too share in it fully, and I feel very grateful and blessed for their enthusiasm, friendship and dedication.”

Kruglanski leads UMD’s Motivated Cognition Lab, in which graduate students get the chance to work on projects related to violent extremism, political activism, the quest for significance, coping with uncertainty, and closed-mindedness. Through this work, they also get to collaborate with colleagues at the Sapienza University of Rome (in Italy); the Jagiellonian University (in Krakow, Poland); the University of Groningen (in the Netherlands); Nanyang Technological University (in Singapore); and New York University Abu Dhabi.

This is not the first time that Kruglanski’s lifetime of work on motivation and the psychology behind radical violence has been recognized. Most recently, the Association for Psychological Science (APS) honored Kruglanski with its William James Fellow Award, which recognizes renowned APS members for a lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the basic science of psychology.

In early 2024, Kruglanski was also asked to participate in The Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center Residency Program, a monthlong residency program in Bellagio, Italy that has welcomed more than 5,000 artists, policymakers, scholars, authors, practitioners, scientists, Nobel Laureates, and McArthur genius awardees from countries all over the world. As a Bellagio Center resident, Kruglanski spent four weeks living and working alongside 14 other leading artists, scholars, and nonprofit leaders in an effort to jointly develop potential solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.

“We're proud of Arie for his many accomplishments throughout his career,” said PSYC Professor and Chair Michael Dougherty. “This award signifies that those accomplishments are also well recognized by the broader scientific community.”

Kruglanski will be formally recognized for his Distinguished Scientific Contributions at a virtual APA awards event that will take place this fall. He will also receive $1,000 and a personalized award citation.

Published on Fri, Jan 10, 2025 - 10:01AM