Richard Gonzalez directs ISR Research Center for Group Dynamics
February 11, 2015
ANN ARBOR—Richard Gonzalez was appointed Director of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR), effective Jan. 1, 2015. Gonzalez will serve a five-year term.
Richard Gonzalez, Director of RCGD. Photo by Philip Dattilo
He succeeds ISR research scientist Jerome Johnston, who plans to retire soon after almost 48 years at the Institute.
“Rich is well known to all of ISR,” said ISR Director James Jackson. “He has the unanimous recommendation of the tenured faculty, and the strong support of Center staff and students. I am confident that he will bring his formidable intellectual gifts, high energy and infectious enthusiasm to this new position, and I look forward to his wise council.”
“I also want to extend my appreciation to Jere Johnston for his major and steady contributions to the Center, and to the Institute.”
Gonzalez received a B.A. in psychology in 1985 from the University of California – Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in psychology in 1990 from Stanford University. He held positions at the University of Washington, Princeton University and the University of Chicago before joining U-M in 1997.
He is a professor of psychology, marketing and statistics, and also holds appointments at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Center for Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, the Center for Human Growth and Development.
He is founding director of the ISR BioSocial Methods Collaborative, a group designed to develop new research methodologies linking the social and health sciences.
Gonzalez joined RCGD in 1997 when he came to U-M and has served most recently as Associate Director.
“I look forward to continuing the legacy of the founders and previous directors of RCGD,” said Gonzalez. “The faculty and I will incorporate the best traditions of the past (e.g., Lewinian approaches to theory and research) along with fostering opportunities for new research directions.”
Gonzalez is the author of “Data Analysis for Experimental Design” and is the author or coauthor of numerous journal articles. He is the recipient of a number of honors, and has been named a fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. Gonzalez is also the principal investigator or co-PI on several research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and industry partners.