Martin E.P. Seligman, PhD

Director of the Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Martin Seligman is a world-renowned psychologist and a pioneer in the field of positive psychology. He is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology and Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where he has been on the faculty since 1987. His research focuses on positive psychology, learned helplessness, prospection, optimism, and positive education.

A prolific author, Dr. Seligman has written more than 350 journal articles and 30 influential books, including "Learned Optimism," "Authentic Happiness," and "Flourish," which have been translated into more than 25 languages.

Dr. Seligman was elected President of the American Psychological Association in 1996 by the largest vote in modern history. He has been honored with numerous awards and accolades over the course of his career, including the prestigious Templeton Prize for Positive Psychology, the National Academy of Medicine's Sarnat Award, the American Psychological Society’s William James Fellow Award for basic science, the Cattell Award for the application of science, and three Lifetime Distinguished Scientist awards from the American Psychological Association.

In 2021, he was named the most influential psychologist in the world by Academic Influence. Dr. Seligman has worked extensively with the US military to develop resilience training programs for soldiers and their families. His mission is the attempt to transform social science to work on the best things in life – strengths, positive emotion, good relationships, meaning, and human flourishing.