Patricia Gurin

Nancy Cantor Distinguished University Professor Emerita, Research Director
Bio

Patricia Gurin, PhD (she/her/hers) is the Nancy Cantor Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Psychology and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan. She is a faculty associate of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Institute for Social Research and of the Center for African and Afro-American Studies. She directs the research program of The Program on Intergroup Relations, a curricular program co-sponsored by the College of LS&A and Student Life. A social psychologist, Dr. Gurin’s work has focused on social identity, the role of social identity in political attitudes and behavior, motivation and cognition in achievement settings, and the role of social structure in intergroup relations. She is the author of eight books and monographs and numerous articles on these topics. She was an expert witness in the University of Michigan’s defense of its undergraduate and law school admissions policies. In collaboration with Sylvia Hurtado, Eric Dey, and Gerald Gurin, all of the Center for Post-Secondary and Higher Education at the University of Michigan, she provided the expert report on the Educational Value of Diversity for these lawsuits. Dr. Gurin is the recipient of the James S. Jackson Life Achievement Award from the Association for Psychological Science and is the namesake of the prestigious Patricia Gurin Certificate of Merit in Intergroup Relations award for graduating students of IGR.

Recent publications

  • Nagda, B. A. & Gurin, P. (in press). How Intergroup Dialogue works: Critical-Dialogic foundations and extensions. In C. Baik & E. Kahu (eds.), Research handbook on the student experience in higher education. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing
Street Address
IGR Room 218