Dr. Barbara L. Fredrickson

Dr. Barbara L. Fredrickson serves as Kenan Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she directs both the Social Psychology Doctoral Program and the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory (PEP Lab). After earning her Ph.D. from Stanford University and completing postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley, she has dedicated over 25 years to advancing the science of positive emotions. Her groundbreaking "broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions" has become foundational in positive psychology, demonstrating how positive emotions contribute to resilience, wellbeing, and health