CALENDAR - Key Persons

Laura A. King received her A.B. in English Literature and Psychology from Kenyon College and her PhD in Personality Psychology from the University of California, Davis. She was on the faculty of Southern Methodist University for 10 years prior to moving to the University of Missouri, Columbia, where she is a Curators' Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences. At SMU she received numerous teaching awards and recently received the Purple Chalk Award for teaching excellence from the Mizzou Student Council. A personality/social psychologist, Laura's research concerns well-being, especially meaning in life, narrative approaches, and folk theories of The Good Life. Whatever the topic, her work reflects an enduring interest in everyday people and their everyday lives. She has published over 100 articles and chapters. She received the Carol and Ed Diener Award for Distinguished Midcareer Contributions to Personality in 2011; the award for Distinguished Service to SPSP in 2015; and the 2018 Jack Block Award for Distinguished Research in Personality Psychology. Her work has been impactful, placing her in the top 1% of social psychologists. A past president of SPSP, Laura served as editor or associate editor for a number of journals and was the first woman to edit the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Personality Processes and Individual Differences. Most recently she was editor of Perspectives on Psychological Science. She has been a vocal advocate for diversity in these leadership roles.