David Yeager, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, and co-founder of the Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute
David Yeager, Ph.D. (FAN ’16, ’24) is a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and the cofounder of the Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute. He is best known for his research conducted with Carol Dweck, Angela Duckworth, and Greg Walton on short but powerful interventions that influence adolescent behaviors such as motivation, engagement, healthy eating, bullying, stress, mental health, and more.
Prof. Yeager’s first book is 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, published in August 2024.
Yeager has consulted for Google, Microsoft, Disney, and the World Bank, as well as for the White House and the governments in California, Texas, and Norway. His research has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, The Atlantic, and more. Clarivate Web of Science ranks Prof. Yeager as one of the top 0.1% most-influential psychologists in the world over the past decade.
Prior to his career as a scientist, Yeager was a middle school teacher and a basketball coach. He earned his Ph.D. and MA at Stanford University and his BA and M.Ed. at the University of Notre Dame.
