Robert Emmons
Advisor

Robert Emmons, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, where he taught from 1988-2021.  He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Maine and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He is the author of over 250 original publications in peer-reviewed journals or chapters and has written or edited eight books, including Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Gratitude Works! A Twenty-One Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity, and The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Well-Being By Giving Thanks.

A leader in the positive psychology movement, Dr. Emmons is Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology. A frequent speaker at professional conferences and public events, he has also guest lectured at Yale, Oxford, Stanford, Cornell, Columbia, and the University of Michigan. Dr. Emmons has been PI or Co-PI for nearly $20M in research funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, the John M. Templeton Foundation, and the National Institute for Disability Research and Rehabilitation. His ground-breaking work on gratitude has been featured in dozens of popular media outlets, including The New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, TIME, NPR, PBS, Consumer Reports, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Weather Channel, Forbes, and NBC’s “The Today Show.” He is a trustee of the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust.