Ann Masten, PhD, Regents Professor and Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development in the Institute of Child Development (ICD), has been elected to the 2021 class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is one of 252 national and international scholars, artists, philanthropists, and business leaders elected this year.

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the country’s oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers. “We are honoring the excellence of these individuals, celebrating what they have achieved so far, and imagining what they will continue to accomplish,” said David Oxtoby, President of the American Academy, in the organization’s announcement. “The past year has been replete with evidence of how things can get worse; this is an opportunity to illuminate the importance of art, ideas, knowledge, and leadership that can make a better world.”

Masten is internationally known for her research on competence and resilience in human development, especially in children and families threatened by adversity. The goal of her work is to inform science, practice, and policy around human adaptation and multisystem resilience. At ICD, she directs the Project Competence Research on Risk and Resilience (PCR3), including studies of normative populations and high-risk young people exposed to homelessness, poverty, war, natural disasters, and migration.

“Dr. Masten’s research on youth and resilience is not only academically sound and scientifically rigorous, it is community-based and collaborative, translational research that directly promotes success for children and families in Minnesota and beyond,” said Michael Rodriguez, PhD, Interim Dean of the College of Education and Human Development.  

Masten joins ICD Professors Dante Cicchetti, PhD, and Megan Gunnar, PhD, as members of the American Academy. Cicchetti and Gunnar were elected in 2015 and 2017, respectively. See a full list of this year’s new members.