Psychology professor Arie Kruglanski is the recipient of the 2007 Regents Faculty Award in Research, given for "distinguished performance." According to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, Dr. Kruglanski is one of the world's leading social psychology theorists and empirical researchers.
He has a gift for devising incisive and encompassing psychological theories and applying them to major social and societal issues. His work on motivated cognition encompasses the traditional empirical areas of psychological research, such as the formation of attitudes and social judgments based on statistical information. One offshoot of this research is a project on the attitudes and beliefs that foster risk-taking behaviors in adolescence.
Dr. Kruglanski's journal citation rate places him among the top 25 most frequently cited social psychologists. The Society of Experimental Social Psychology, which is the elite organization in his field, recently awarded him a Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award. Dr. Kruglanski is lead investigator on two START projects, one looking at the support for terrorism as a function of individualistic and collectivistic goals and one examining the effects of uncertainty on support for religious extremism. Dr. Kruglanski also serves as the director of START's projects in Working Group #1 on terrorist recruitment and group formation.
Professor Kruglanski said he is pleased, honored and excited to receive this award. "I value very much this recognition from my own university community and I am proud and very pleased to be the recipient of the Regents Faculty Award in Research," he said.