Human Development Prof. Tenured in Psychology

Mark F. Lenzenweger, professor of human development at Cornell University, has accepted a tenured position in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard.

Lenzenweger, who will be teaching in the psychology department, announced that he will resign from Cornell this summer.

Lenzenweger has been at Cornell for 11 years, teaching courses in abnormal psychology and psychopathology. He has also taught upper level undergraduate seminars on schizophrenia, personality disorders and psychoanalysis.

Lenzenweger also served as an adviser to undergraduates hoping to pursue graduate work in clinical psychology.

According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Lenzenweger said his work at Cornell did not give him an opportunity to work with graduate students, something he is looking forward to doing at Harvard.

"It's been a great thrill to work with undergraduates, but I'm looking forward to working with some Ph.D. students," Lenzenweger said.

Lenzenweger also said that Harvard's renowned faculty in psychology was a factor in his decision to accept the position.

"The wonderful thing about Harvard is the large number of faculty in experimental psychology," Lenzenweger told the Daily Sun.

"[Harvard is] an extremely exciting place to be...[and it] has a rich tradition of support for psychological science, which is pretty uncommon," he added.

Lenzenweger specializes in the fields of schizophrenia and longitudinal study of personality disorders, which looks at the development of personality over time.

"People at Harvard are excited about bringing this longitudinal study there," Lenzenweger said.

Barbara Koslowski, professor of human development and Lenzenweger's colleague at Cornell, said that Lenzeweger would be missed in her department.

"It will be an incredible loss for Cornell and an incredible gain for Harvard," she said. "[Lenzenweger is] an innovative researcher and an exemplary teacher."

Lenzenweger received his undergraduate degree from Cornell. After completing his graduate work at Yeshivah University, he returned to Cornell to teach.

"I look forward to opening the next chapter of my career at Harvard," Lenzenweger said.