Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl

Dr. Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl is an Applied Development Psychologist and Professor in the Human Development, Learning, and Culture program in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. She is also the Interim Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership in the School of Population and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine. She received her B.Sc. in Education from Illinois State University, her MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Chicago, and her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Iowa, Before arriving at UBC, Dr. Schonert-Reichl served as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Postdoctoral Fellow in the Clinical Research Training Program in Adolescence at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry. Prior to her graduate work, Dr. Schonert-Reichl worked as middle school teacher and then as a teacher at an alternative high school for “at risk” adolescents. The author of more than 100 articles and two books, Dr. Schonert-Reichl studies the social and emotional development of children and adolescents, particularly in relation to identifying the processes and mechanisms that foster positive human qualities such as empathy, compassion, altruism, and resiliency. Her most recent research includes evaluations of school-based programs that integrate mindfulness practices with social and emotional learning. She is also conducting interdisciplinary research in collaboration with neuroscientists and psychobiologists examining the relation of executive functions and stress physiology to children’s social and emotional well-being. She is a fellow of the Mind and Life Institute and the Botin Foundation’s Platform for Innovation in Education, and an award winning teacher and researcher. She is active with several national and international advisory boards, including the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Research Advisory Group. Dr. Schonert-Reichl has been internationally recognized for her collaborative work that translates research into practice, and in 2009 the Confederation of University Faculty Association (CUFA-BC) awarded Dr. Schonert-Reichl with their highest Distinguished Academic Award – the Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award.