Professor Emeritus of Psychology; Senior Research Scientist Emeritus, RCGD
About
Eugene Burnstein, Ph.D., professor of psychology in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and senior research scientist at the Institute for Social Research, retired from active faculty status on May 31, 2002.
Professor Burnstein received his A.B. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1954 and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan in 1960. From 1959-62 he was an assistant professor at the University of Texas and then Michigan State University. He joined the University of Michigan faculty as a visiting assistant professor and program director in the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Institute for Social Research in 1962. He was appointed assistant professor in 1963, associate professor in 1964, and professor in 1968, and within the Research Center for Group Dynamics was promoted to research scientist in 1973 and senior research scientist in 1997. From 1988-2000, Professor Burnstein also served as chair of the Department of Psychology's Social Psychology Area.
Professor Burnstein made numerous contributions to the fields of social psychology, personality, and psychobiology; his publications focus on cognition, social influence, persuasion, and group decision-making. Professor Burnstein mentored generations of students in psychology and interdisciplinary programs. He was known for stimulating his students and colleagues with creative insights into psychological processes, often embellishing them with his keen sense of humor.
Former students and scholars from around the world have avidly sought Professor Burnstein as a collaborator. His international activities also include work with Polish scholars and researchers from the University of Warsaw's Institute for Social Studies, of which Professor Burnstein became an associate member in 1997. Professor Burnstein was twice named a Senior Fulbright Lecturer, and he is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 1994 he was awarded a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
The Regents now salute this faculty member by naming Eugene Burnstein professor emeritus of psychology and research scientist emeritus.
