Angela Duckworth

Angela Duckworth is an internationally-recognized scholar of positive psychology and the psychology of achievement. She is widely known for her role in developing and advancing the concepts of grit—the ability to maintain effort toward long-term goals—and self-control as factors in the pursuit and attainment of valued goals. Duckworth’s own passion is to use psychological science to help children thrive. She is a prolific author whose research is published in leading scientific journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Psychology, and the Journal of Positive Psychology. Her first book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, debuted as an immediate New York Times bestseller, reaching No. 1 on both the Education and Business lists.

Duckworth is a recipient of a MacArthur “genius grant” fellowship. She is faculty co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, and faculty co-director of Wharton People Analytics. She is also founder and scientific director of the Character Lab, a nonprofit located on Penn’s campus whose mission is to advance the science and practice of character development.