VEST Education and Research Speaker Series: Dr. David S. Yeager

From Growth Mindset to Mentor Mindset: Notes from a Journey of Learning

David S. Yeager is a social and developmental psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on adolescent behavior, and addresses problems such bullying, stress, depression, academic achievement, cheating, trust, and obesity. He often focuses on adolescent transitions—the transition to middle school, the transition to high school, or the transition to college—as a place where there is great opportunity (and risk) for young people’s trajectories. At UT Austin he teaches a popular course called “Using behavioral science to reduce inequality,” in which undergrads’ projects apply the tools of psychology to improve the world around them. He co-founded and co-directs the Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute, which houses initiatives to promote equity in the pipeline from school into the workforce. Chief among these is the Texas Mindset Initiative (TxMI), which works with K-12 teachers and college professors to create more equitable and inclusive classrooms; in 2024, TxMI programs will reach 1,000 educators and 100,000 students. His research has appeared in Nature, Science, and PNAS, and in leading outlets in social, developmental, and general psychology, and his work has been profiled in the New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, and in most major newspapers in the U.S. and in Europe. In 2020, he received the Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association, and he has received 21 other career awards since 2012. Every year since 2019, Yeager’s was named a “highly cited researcher” by Clarivate Analytics. His book 10 to 25: The new science of motivating young people will be published by Simon & Schuster in 2024. He received his PhD and MA at Stanford University and his BA and MEd at the University of Notre Dame.