Mitch Prinstein

Mitchell J. Prinstein, Ph.D., is APA’s chief science officer (CSO), responsible for leading the association’s science agenda and advocating for the application of psychological research and knowledge in settings including academia, government, industry, and the law

Before assuming the CSO post, he was the John Van Seters, a distinguished professor of psychology and neuroscience and assistant dean of Honors Carolina at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined the department of psychology and neuroscience faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2004 as an associate professor, rising to full professor in 2008. 

He began his academic career in 1999 as an assistant professor and later director of clinical psychology at the Yale University department of psychology. A longtime leader in promoting psychological science, Prinstein has an extensive record of professional service, including as an elected member of the Coalition for the Advancement and Application of Psychological Science executive committee. 

This is a group of 12 national associations, including APA, that are committed to publicizing psychological science and promoting science-based graduate training in the United States. Prinstein previously served on APA’s Board of Directors as an at-large member and was active in APA governance, beginning as chair of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS). 

He was the first APAGS representative to the APA Board and later served as the first chair of the Committee on Early Career Psychologists and as a member of the Good Governance Group. He has also been president of the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology, the Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, and editor of the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

With continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for over 20 years, Prinstein has published more than 150 scientific articles and nine books, including a set of encyclopedias on adolescent development, textbooks for both graduate and undergraduate education in psychology, and two professional development volumes for graduate students. 

His developmental psychopathology research has focused on popularity and peer relations, particularly among adolescents. He also has examined the associations between adolescents’ interpersonal experiences and psychological symptoms, including depression, self-injury, suicidal behavior, and other health-risk behaviors.

Beyond his work as an academic, Prinstein is skilled in translating psychological science for a general audience. He is the author of the mass-market book Popular: Finding Happiness and Success in a World That Cares Too Much About the Wrong Kinds of Relationships and has written for or been interviewed by hundreds of mainstream media outlets to elevate the impact of psychological science.