Peter Salovey

Peter Salovey (born February 1958) is an American social psychologist and academic administrator who served as the 23rd president of Yale University from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2024. As Sterling Professor of Psychology at Yale, he holds secondary appointments in the School of Management and School of Public Health, and is a pioneer in the study of emotional intelligence, having co-developed with John D. Mayer a framework defining it as the ability to perceive, understand, and regulate emotions to facilitate thinking and behavior. Salovey earned an A.B. in psychology and an A.M. in sociology from Stanford University in 1980, followed by a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Yale in 1986, after which he joined Yale's faculty. Before ascending to the presidency, he held key administrative roles including dean of Yale College from 2004 to 2011 and provost from 2008 to 2013, during which he advanced initiatives in health communication and emotional literacy, founding the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Under his presidency, Yale's endowment grew from approximately $19.4 billion to $41.4 billion, reflecting strategic financial management amid expanded research and accessibility efforts.

Salovey was born in 1958 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to a Jewish family.