Robert S. Feldman
I am Senior Advisor to the Chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As the Senior Advisor to the Chancellor, I work closely with the Chancellor of the University, promoting his vision and priorities and initiating efforts to improve the quality of the campus. I also serve as Senior Fellow in the Center for Student Success Research at UMass.
Prior to serving as Senior Advisor to the Chancellor, I was Deputy Chancellor of the University. Before that I was Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and served for a period of time as Interim Dean of the College of Education. I was the founding director of Power-Up for College Success, a first-year experience course for students at UMass Amherst.
Before joining the central administration, I was a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, where I still hold an appointment. In the Department, I regularly taught introductory psychology to classes ranging in size from 20 to nearly 500 students, as well as honors classes for incoming first-year students. I served as Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department and initiated the Research and Mentoring Program. I also have served as a Hewlett Teaching Fellow and Senior Online Teaching Fellow.
I am a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. I received a B.A. with High Honors from Wesleyan University (from which I won the Distinguished Alumni Award) and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
I am winner of the College Outstanding Teaching Award and recipient of a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer award. In addition, I am Chief Scientific Advisor for GetSet, Inc., an education-oriented start-up in Chicago. I have served as President of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS) Foundation, a coalition of groups representing the behavioral and brain sciences, and as a member of the FABBS Board. I was Chair of the McGraw Hill Learning Science Advisory Board from 2016-2021. I served as Chair of New England Public Radio’s Board of Directors and was subsequently the inaugural Chair of the New England Public Media’s Board of Directors. I am currently on the Board of Trustees of the Social Psychology Network, the UMass Amherst Hillel, and the Board of Directors for the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation.
I have written more than 250 books, book chapters, and scientific articles. My books include The Liar in Your Life, Understanding Psychology, Essentials of Understanding Psychology, Fundamentals of Nonverbal Behavior, Development of Nonverbal Behavior in Children, Social Psychology, Development Across the Life Span, Child Development, and four versions of POWER: Strategies for Success in College and Life. My books have been translated into many languages, including Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and Tagalog, and more than 2.5 million students worldwide have used my textbooks. My research interests include honesty, deception, and impression management. My research has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research.
I love music and am a decent pianist. I’m also a pretty decent cook, and I love to travel—a lot. I have three adult children and six grandchildren and live with my wife, also a psychologist, overlooking the Holyoke mountain range in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts.