Robert Levenson 2009-2010 winner of the Psychological Sciences Distinguished Alumnus Award
Robert Levenson is the 2009-2010 winner of the Psychological Sciences Distinguished Alumnus Award.Bob received his Ph.D. from the Arts and Science Psychology Department in 1974. Since leaving Vanderbilt, he has held academic positions at Indiana University (from 1974-1986) and the University of California, Berkeley (1986-present). During this thirty-five year period, Bob has attained a position of eminence in the field. He is well known for his seminal contributions to emotion research. Earlier studies focused on the question of whether there are unique patterns of autonomic activity associated with the experience and facial expression of discrete emotions. More recent work has focused on the physiological correlates and consequences of emotion regulation. Bob has also begun examining the neural substrates of emotional regulation by studying patients with fronto-temporal dysfunction. He has also done ground-breaking collaborative work with John Gottman on the physiological concommitants and predictors of marital satisfaction and outcomes. Bob is a past president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and of the American Psychological Society and he is currently the Director of the Institute of Personality and Social Research at Berkeley. Among his many contributions to the field, he has mentored several generations of emotion researchers.