Claude Steele

Claude M. Steele is an American social psychologist and a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. He also holds an appointment in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford.

Steele is widely recognized for his research on stereotype threat and its influence on minority student academic performance. His earlier work explored the self (e.g., self-image, self-affirmation) and the role of self-regulation in addictive behaviors. His seminal book, "Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do," published in 2010, summarizes extensive research on stereotype threat and the underperformance of minority students in higher education.

He earned a B.A. in Psychology from Hiram College, an M.A. in Social Psychology from Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and Statistical Psychology from Ohio State University.

Steele has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Education, and the American Philosophical Society. He currently serves on the boards of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Scripps College, and SFJazz.

His past academic leadership roles include serving as the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at Stanford University, the I. James Quillen Dean for the School of Education at Stanford University, and the 21st Provost of Columbia University. He was also the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at UC Berkeley from 2014 to 2016. Steele has additionally held positions as director of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and as director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.

Professor Steele has received numerous honorary degrees, including from Yale University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, DePaul University, and Claremont Graduate University. In 2020, he received the Legacy Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. This prestigious award recognizes seminal career contributions that have significantly shaped the field of social psychology.