Search People Result | Academic Influence

Find the most influential people in 24 academic disciplines and numerous subdisciplines

Find famous and important people related to your research. This is an excellent tool for research papers, topic papers, and building a bibliography. Using our influence-based algorithm, our rankings synthesize data from Wikipedia, Wikidata, Semantic Scholar, and CrossRef.

Students and researchers now have a fast and reliable way to find influential thinkers from 24 disciplines and 300 sub-disciplines (and growing). If you want to find history’s most influential philsosophers, or the world’s most influential mathematicians currently, now you can.

We also provide custom rankings of people by discipline as well as interviews with influential academics who are currently active.

To use this tool, select the discipline (and optional subdiscipline) relevant to your research, and specify influential academics by history, world, or US. Even results that are counterintuitive are often enlightening (our algorithm always picks up a signal).

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School

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Subdiscipline

Ranking

List of the most influential people in Psychology,

#4351

Lois Surgenor

#186456

Overall Influence

Lois J. Surgenor is a New Zealand clinical psychologist and academic. Her research focuses on eating disorders and traumatic brain injury. As of 2021 she is a full professor at the University of Otago.

#4352

Elizabeth McDermott

#142092

Overall Influence

Elizabeth McDermott is a Professor of Health Inequality at Lancaster University, in England. Her research considers mental health inequality, with a focus on gender, social class and young people. Early life and education McDermott earned her doctoral degree at the Lancaster University, where she studied the influence of lesbian identity and social class on wellbeing. She was a postdoctoral researcher on a project that looked to understand how people affected by cancer understood end of life issues.

#4353

Richard J. S. Wise

#186472

Overall Influence

#4354

Arthur Lucas

#93455

Overall Influence

1941 - Present (85 years)

Arthur Maurice Lucas is an Australian academic who served as the 18th Principal of King's College London. He was educated at the University of Melbourne where he took BSc and BEd degrees, and subsequently earned his PhD from Ohio State University. He began his academic career at Flinders University where he was a senior demonstrator in biology, prior to a posting as a research associate at Ohio State University. Lucas then returned to Flinders University where he became a senior lecturer, before moving to King's College London where he became professor of science curriculum studies. At King'...

#4355

Jesse Cougle

#184764

Overall Influence

1975 - Present (51 years)

Jesse Ray Cougle is an American psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Florida State University. His laboratory studies multiple psychological disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. As a graduate student, he also published multiple studies on the alleged adverse psychological effects of abortion, sometimes along with David C. Reardon and Priscilla K. Coleman.

#4356

Matthew Belmonte

#186579

Overall Influence

Matthew Belmonte is a reader in psychology at Nottingham Trent University who researches the behavior and neurophysiology of autistic individuals. He has studied the behavioral aspects of autism by providing subjects with videogames that measure several perceptual properties. Belmonte has received a $700,000 National Science Foundation grant to study this aspect, and uses MRI and EEG technology to measure brain activity of autistic and non-autistic individuals. He has an older brother with autism, and both have a fascination with order and regularity. In his essay 'Life Without Order: Lite...

#4357

A. Dean Byrd

#166956

Overall Influence

1948 - 2012 (64 years)

Albert Dean Byrd was a former president of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality , a research organization that advocates sexual orientation change efforts . He was a psychologist who focused on SOCE, and wrote on the topic. Although raised by a Buddhist mother and a Baptist father, Byrd converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was very active in the debate within the church on issues involving homosexuality.

#4358

Christopher Murray

#186659

Overall Influence

#4359

Rebeccah Slater

#70727

Overall Influence

1979 - Present (47 years)

Rebeccah Slater is a British neuroscientist and academic. She is professor of paediatric neuroscience and a senior Wellcome Trust research fellow at the University of Oxford. She is also a professorial fellow in Neuroscience at St John's College.

#4360

Beverly Greene

#183011

Overall Influence

1951 - Present (75 years)

Beverly Greene is a professor in the Department of Psychology at St. John's University. She is a clinical psychologist known for her work on sexism, racism, and analyzing the intersectionality of social identities. As a specialist in the psychology of women and of gender and racial issues in the practice of psychotherapy, Greene has also created many public health frameworks for understanding mental health in marginalized communities. She is the author of close to 100 psychological literature publications. Greene is involved with the Association for Women in Psychology and the Society for the Psychology of Women.

#4361

Helena Cooper-Thomas

#184440

Overall Influence

1970 - Present (56 years)

Helena D. Cooper-Thomas is a New Zealand organisational behaviour academic. She is currently a full professor at the Auckland University of Technology. Academic career After a Masters at the University of Saskatchewan, she completed a PhD at Goldsmith College, University of London and then worked in industry for Shell. She rejoined academia at the University of Auckland before moving to Auckland University of Technology.

#4362

Benjamin J Lovett

#186728

Overall Influence

#4363

Lewis Petrinovich

#181226

Overall Influence

1930 - 2021 (91 years)

Lewis Franklin Petrinovich was an American evolutionary psychologist and professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. His work has included research on lefthandedness, the potential evolutionary origins of cannibalism, and evolutionary ornithology.

#4364

Cat Hobaiter

#158761

Overall Influence

Catherine Hobaiter is a British primatologist focusing on social behaviour in wild chimpanzees and involved in long-term studies of chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest Reserve in Uganda. She is particularly interested in the role gestures play in communication. She is a lecturer at the University of St Andrews.

#4365

John Morton

#137773

Overall Influence

1933 - Present (93 years)

John Morton, OBE, FRS is an emeritus professor at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and was the director of the former Medical Research Council Cognitive Development Unit at University College London.

#4366

Rick Heber

#125685

Overall Influence

1932 - Present (94 years)

Richard Franz Heber is an American educational psychologist and expert on mental retardation. He is known for his work on the Milwaukee Project, and for his subsequent conviction on charges of fraud and misuse of federal funds. As a result of this conviction, Heber was sentenced to a three-year term in a federal prison in Bastrop, Texas.

#4367

Robert C. Nichols

#158728

Overall Influence

1927 - Present (99 years)

Robert Cosby Nichols is an American educational psychologist and twin researcher. With John C. Loehlin, he conducted a study of 850 twin pairs to determine the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors on individual differences in personality. The study was published in 1976 as the book Heredity, Environment, and Personality: A Study of 850 Sets of Twins. It was among the first studies examining the potential role of genetic factors in personality, after decades of researchers ignoring the subject. He has also researched the role of genetics in human intelligence.

#4368

Sultana Zaman

#168335

Overall Influence

1932 - 2020 (88 years)

Sultana Zaman was a Bangladeshi psychologist, academic, and philanthropist. She was the founder of Bangladesh Protibandhi Foundation , an organization for the mentally disabled people. She was awarded Begum Rokeya Padak in 2008 by the Government of Bangladesh.

#4369

Doug Elliffe

#175923

Overall Influence

Douglas Mark Elliffe is a New Zealand psychology academic, and as of 2021 is a full professor at the University of Auckland. Academic career After a PhD titled Multiple-schedule performance in closed economies at the University of Auckland, and joined the staff, rising to full professor.

#4370

Cindy Meston

#182654

Overall Influence

1965 - Present (61 years)

Cindy Meston is a Canadian-American clinical psychologist well-known for her research on the psychophysiology of female sexual arousal. She is a Full Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, Director of the Female Sexual Psychophysiology Laboratory, and author of Why Women Have Sex . In 2016, the BBC, London, England named Meston one of the 100 most influential and inspirational women in the world.

#4371

Rüdiger Emshoff

Rüdiger Emshoff

#123815

Overall Influence

1960 - Present (66 years)

Rüdiger Emshoff is a German oral and maxillofacial surgeon and associate professor at the Medical University of Innsbruck, where he is head of the Orofacial Pain and Temporomandibular Disorder Unit. Emshoff is known for his work in the field of chronic orofacial pain management with a focus on the development of non-invasive and minimally-invasive methods in the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

#4372

Jillianne Code

#180197

Overall Influence

1976 - Present (50 years)

Jillianne Reay Code is a Canadian researcher and learning scientist. She is an associate professor in the faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia and director of the Assessment for Learning in Immersion and Virtual Environments research lab.

#4373

Daphne C. Watkins

#173739

Overall Influence

Daphne C. Watkins, is an author, researcher, executive coach, and professor who studies behavioral health interventions for historically marginalized groups, mixed methods approaches to research in context, and leadership development/organizational management.

#4374

John Patrick Hayes

#187069

Overall Influence

#4375

Nenagh Kemp

#183978

Overall Influence

Nenagh M. Kemp is a psychologist with the University of Tasmania. She is a specialist in the acquisition, development and use of spoken and written language. She is the associate editor for the Journal of Research in Reading and for Reading and Writing. She is a member of the editorial board of Scientific Studies of Reading.

#4376

Tudor Rickards

#85345

Overall Influence

1941 - Present (85 years)

Tudor Rickards is a self-published author of non-fiction and fiction, a business academic, and a scientist. He is Professor Emeritus at University of Manchester and formerly Professor of creativity and Organisational change at Alliance Manchester Business School. His fiction works include The Unnamed Threat: A Wendy Lockinge Mystery , Seconds Out and Chronicles of Leadership . His non-fiction includes Tennis Matters: A Leaders We Deserve Monograph , Tennis Tensions , The Manchester Method and The Double Houdini .

#4377

Rufus Douglas Catchings

#187105

Overall Influence

Dr. Catchings has been a Research Geophysicst for the US Department of Interior’s United States Geological Survey (USGS) since 1981. Catchings served as Chief Scientist for the Earthquake Hazards Team, 2005–2008. Dr. Catchings’ scientific interests include seismic evaluation of the subsurface, particularly as it relates to earthquake and other hazards, groundwater and other resources, and tectonics. Catchings also develops seismic methodologies. He has conducted numerous studies and served as advisor for more than 60 local, state, federal, and international government agencies, and private organizations.

#4378

John A. Powell

#21072

Overall Influence

1947 - Present (79 years)

John A. Powell is an African-American law professor. He leads the UC Berkeley Othering & Belonging Institute and holds the Robert D. Haas Chancellor's Chair in Equity and Inclusion, Professor of Law and Professor of African American Studies and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Powell spells his name in lowercase based on the idea that we should be "part of the universe, not over it, as capitals signify".

#4379

Asher Cohen

#187146

Overall Influence

#4380

Marjolein Lips-Wiersma

#113745

Overall Influence

Marjolein Silvia Lips-Wiersma is a New Zealand academic. She specializes in ethics, meaningful work and sustainability. She is currently a full professor at the Auckland University of Technology. Academic career Marjo Lips-Wiersma is Professor of Ethics and Sustainability Leadership at AUT. In 1999 she submitted a doctoral thesis titled The influence of 'spiritual meaning-making' on career choice, transition and experience at the University of Auckland. Her research takes place at the nexus of meaningful work, sustainability, hope and well-being.

#4381

Arthur Shapiro

#134989

Overall Influence

1964 - Present (62 years)

Arthur "Art" Shapiro is an American vision scientist and creator of visual illusions. He is the co-editor of the Oxford Compendium of Visual Illusions. He is currently a professor of psychology and computer science with the American University in Washington, D.C., and Director of the Collaborative for Applied Perceptual Research and Innovation .

#4382

Stacy Blake-Beard

#102136

Overall Influence

Stacy Blake-Beard has a BS in Psychology from the University of Maryland, an MA and a Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan. Since 2002, Blake-Beard has been teaching organizational behavior at the Simmons College School of Management and is currently a tenured Professor of Management. Before Blake-Beard joined Simmons, she was Assistant Professor of Administration, Planning, and Social Policy at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. At HGSE she lectured on organizational behavior, cultural diversity in organizations, and mentoring relationships at w...

#4383

Wendy Loretto

#185445

Overall Influence

Wendy Loretto is the Dean and Professor of Organizational Behaviour at the University of Edinburgh Business School and an expert in later-life employment. Education Loretto holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Edinburgh. After graduation, she worked as a commercial manager at Marks & Spencer. For three years she worked at the Alcohol Research Group at the University of Edinburgh, where she received her PhD in research on the social and cultural aspects of illicit and legal drug use by young people.

#4384

Ana Abraido-Lanza

#123034

Overall Influence

Ana Abraído-Lanza is an American behavioral psychologist who is a professor at the New York University. Her research considers the cultural and structural factors that impact mental and physical health amongst Latino communities. She serves as Vice Dean of the School of Public Health.

#4385

David Goss

#187398

Overall Influence

#4386

Ronald M. Berkman

#38501

Overall Influence

1947 - Present (79 years)

Ronald M. Berkman was the president of Cleveland State University , a position he assumed July 1, 2009. Berkman has been a peripatetic academic, working at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School, the University of California, Berkeley, Brooklyn College, New York University, and the University of Puerto Rico.

#4387

Caroline Horwath

#183259

Overall Influence

Caroline Christine Horwath is a New Zealand nutritional scientist and professor in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago. Academic career Horwath graduated from the University of Adelaide with a PhD in 1987. Her thesis was titled "A random population study of the dietary habits of elderly people". She subsequently joined the University of Otago as a lecturer in the Department of Human Nutrition. In December 2019 she, along with two of her colleagues Lisa Houghton and Rachel Brown, was promoted to full professor with effect from 1 February 2020.

#4388

Saul Fenster

#19449

Overall Influence

Saul K. Fenster was the sixth president of New Jersey Institute of Technology from 1978 until 2002. Education Fenster got his BS from City College of New York, MS from Columbia University, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

#4389

Ton De Jong

#187581

Overall Influence

#4390

Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

#173053

Overall Influence

1982 - Present (44 years)

Ayelet Gundar-Goshen is an Israeli clinical psychologist and author. Life Ayelet Gundar-Goshen was born in Israel. She has a master's degree in psychology from Tel Aviv University. During her studies, she worked as a journalist and news editor in the leading Israeli news paper, Yedioth Ahronoth. She also studied screenplay in Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem. She is a clinical psychologist who also teaches at Tel Aviv University and the Holon Institute of Technology. She was a visiting author in San Francisco State University during 2018, and she is currently a visiting ar...

#4391

Angus Macfarlane

#168483

Overall Influence

Angus Hikairo Macfarlane is a New Zealand academic and professor at the University of Canterbury. Biography He has mixed Scottish and Māori ancestry, and was born in Rotorua into a family of 14 siblings. His family identify with Ko Te Arawa e waru pumanawa, the "eight beating hearts" of the Te Arawa tribe from the Bay of Plenty region in central North Island.

#4392

Mary W. Hicks

#186757

Overall Influence

1920 - Present (106 years)

Mary Ward Hicks was an American psychologist specializing in family therapy, and a professor emerita at Florida State University. Early life and education Mary Agnes Ward was born in Nyssa, Oregon and raised in Weiser, Idaho, the daughter of George P. Ward and Marian E. McDonald Ward . She graduated from Payette High School in 1938. She attended Whitman College and studied education as an undergraduate at the University of Idaho, graduating in 1942. She was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority at Idaho.

#4393

Konrad Talmont-Kamiński

#173187

Overall Influence

1971 - Present (55 years)

Konrad Talmont-Kamiński is an analytic philosopher and cognitive scientist, dealing with epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind and the theory of rationality. His work is also influenced by psychology, biology, history, anthropology and other disciplines.

#4394

Irina Shmelyova

#183987

Overall Influence

Irina Alexandrovna Shmeleva is an environmental psychologist, formerly a professor of the School of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University. Dr Shmeleva has authored several books on the psychology of ecological consciousness, sustainable development, sustainable urban development, cross-cultural psychology and numerous papers on international environmental policy, international relations, and environmental discourse.

#4395

Richard J. Mayer

#44660

Overall Influence

1952 - Present (74 years)

Richard J. Mayer is an American engineer, President of Knowledge Based Systems, Inc., known as lead engineer and principal investigator on the projects of developing part of the IDEF family of modeling languages in the field of software and systems engineering.

#4396

Steven Beach

#178820

Overall Influence

1956 - Present (70 years)

Steven R. H. Beach is Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia, where he also serves as co-director of the Center for Family Research. He is known for his research on marriage and depression.

#4397

Denise C. Park

#187964

Overall Influence

#4398

Helen Moewaka Barnes

Helen Moewaka Barnes

#56676

Overall Influence

Helen Moewaka Barnes is a New Zealand academic. She is Māori, of Te Kapotai and Ngapuhi-nui-tonu descent, and is currently a full professor at Massey University. In 2021 she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

#4399

Kari Adamsons

#181289

Overall Influence

Kari Adamsons is an associate professor of human development and family studies at University of Connecticut. She is a nationally recognized expert on fathers, including father-child relationships, co-parenting, shared parenting and couple relationships. Adamsons is a co-author of Family Theories: An Introduction, a widely used university textbook.

#4400

Robert Ellis

#188055

Overall Influence

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