2018 William James Fellow

John T. Cacioppo

University of Chicago

John T. Cacioppo pioneered the field of social neuroscience, which essentially approaches the brain as a mobile information-processing device designed to connect and interact with similar devices. This field has illuminated the integration of social processes and behavior with biological systems.

Cacioppo’s integrative research program reflects his deep understanding of a range of disciplines in psychological science and related fields, ranging from neuroscience to biology. Throughout his career, he explored big questions such as, “What defines the social species?” and “How do we know what we know?” To study these critical topics, he examines the neural, hormonal, cellular, and genetic mechanisms that underlie social structures, processes, and behaviors.

Cacioppo is the Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at The University of Chicago. He is the author of more than 500 scientific articles, chapters, reviews, and commentaries, and he has written or edited more than 20 books. He has received numerous awards from across the world, including the US National Academy of Sciences Troland Research Award. His work has been supported extensively through grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other public and private funders.

Cacioppo’s distinguished leadership of many scientific organizations, including his role as Past President of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), illustrates the broad impact his leadership and research have had on the field. He is an APS Fellow and a member of the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Society of Experimental Psychologists.

APS notes with sadness the passing of APS Past President John T. Cacioppo in March 2018.