The Regents of the University of Michigan approved the appointment of social psychologist David Dunning as the Ann and Charles R. Walgreen, Jr., Professor of the Study of Human Understanding, College of Literature, Science and the Arts (Walgreen Professorship), effective August 26, 2024. Congratulations, Dave!
The Regents had this to say about the Walgreen Professorship and David Dunning’s career:
“The Mary Ann and Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. Professorship for the Study of Human Understanding was established in 1968 as a result of a generous gift from Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. A second professorship incumbent was established in December 2023. Appointments to this professorship may be up to five years and may be renewed.
David Dunning earned his B.A. from Michigan State University in 1982 and his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1986. Professor Dunning began his career at Cornell University as an assistant professor in 1986, was promoted to associate professor, with tenure, in 1992, and to professor in 1999. He joined our faculty as a professor in 2015.
Professor Dunning is a world-renowned social psychologist whose research is known primarily for its contributions to clarifying mysteries of basic psychological processes underlying judgment and decision-making. His work has offered significant implications in applied domains including education, public policy, law, and business. His most acclaimed and groundbreaking contribution to the psychological literature is what has become known as the “Dunning–Kruger Effect,” a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. His TED-Ed lesson on the effect has had over ten million views. Professor Dunning’s substantial impact on the scientific community is reflected by his Google citation count of more than 37,000 and an H-index of 74. He has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2016 Distinguished Lifetime Career Award from the Society for Self and Identity, the 2020 UM Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, and the 2023 Scientific Impact award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Even more impressively, he (with Justin Kruger) received the 2023 Grawemeyer Award, one of the most distinguished awards in the field of psychology.
Professor Dunning is a highly sought after teacher and mentor. He has taught psychology and law and the graduate course Advanced Social Psychology. He regularly co-authors scholarly publications with students, has supervised seventeen dissertations, and has a strong record of placing graduate students on the faculty at top universities. Professor Dunning’s mentoring was recognized with the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s prestigious Ambady Award for Mentoring Excellence in 2023.
Professor Dunning has an impressive service record to the department, the university, and the field. He has served on the department’s executive committee, several search committees, and as the social area chair from 2019-2023. He was a convener for ADVANCE Launch committees and served on important committees for the Research Center for Group Dynamics and the Institute for Social Research. Professor Dunning has influenced the field as an associate editor for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition and Behavioral Science and Policy. He has also been on numerous editorial boards including the most prestigious journals in the field, including Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Social Psychology and Personality Science, and Journal of Behavioral Decision Making.”
