Judith Rodin—the research psychologist, thought leader, and philanthropic strategist who in 1994 became the first woman president of an Ivy League university—is president emerita of the University of Pennsylvania and of The Rockefeller Foundation. A pioneering scholar of behavioral medicine and health psychology, she spent two decades on the faculty at Yale, where she rose through the ranks to become university provost and was beloved by generations of students for her teaching and mentorship.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rodin earned a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed her A.B. in psychology. As a doctoral student at Columbia University (from which she earned her Ph.D., also in psychology), Rodin learned an important life lesson about equanimity and resilience when her first sole-authored research paper was rejected by a prestigious academic journal. When she told her adviser that she planned to write a rebuttal to the editor, he encouraged her to do so. After reading her robust self-defense, he then said: “Great. Now tear it up and get back to work.” That guidance—not to burn bridges, and to rebound in the face of disappointment—has stayed with her ever since.

“Your gut is great for many things. Good decision-making is not one of them!”

Rodin arrived at Yale in 1972 as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. Specializing in research on obesity, eating disorders, stress, and aging, she would become the Philip R. Allen Professor of Psychology and a professor of medicine and psychiatry while serving in a succession of leadership posts: director of graduate studies, department chair, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and provost. From teaching introductory psychology to conducting research with graduate students—many of whom she has continued to work with over the years—to institutional administration, her time at Yale was formative to her development as a scholar and as a leader. In her presidency at the University of Pennsylvania, Rodin led the institution through a period of vibrant growth during which it rose from sixteenth to fourth in the U.S. News and World Report rankings. At the helm of The Rockefeller Foundation, she developed new partnerships, presided over the launch of urban renewal initiatives, and championed the emerging fields of resilience and impact investing. Among her hundreds of publications are the books The Power of Impact Investing: Putting Markets to Work for Profit and Global Good and The Resilience Dividend: Being Strong in a World Where Things Go Wrong.

Rodin’s numerous honors include the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology (1977) and Lifetime Career Achievement Award (2005), the United Nations’ International Quality of Life Award (2016), the Yale Science and Engineering Association Award for Meritorious Service (2023), and multi-year recognition on the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women list. She has served on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the White House Council for Community Solutions, and as co-chair of both the New York State 2100 Commission and the National Academy of Medicine’s Grand Challenge on Climate Change, Human Health, and Equity. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Academy of Medicine, and other scholarly leadership organizations.

Rodin is the mother of one son and is married to Paul Verkuil, a scholar of administrative law who is president emeritus of the College of William and Mary.