Dr. Emily Greenwood Hangen

Dr. Emily Greenwood Hangen:

College Fellow at Harvard University

PHS Class of 2009

Emily Greenwood Hangen graduated from PHS in 2009. At Payson High, she excelled in academics, choir, and athletics. During her days at Payson High School, Emily earned eight varsity letters, was the team captain of both the cross-country and track & field teams, a varsity member of a state placing cross-country team, and Academic All-State for cross-country. In addition, she was an officer in the National Honors Society, a state finalist for Social Science Sterling Scholar, and the PHS Valedictorian, 2009.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Chicago. After earning her bachelor’s, Dr. Hangen went straight into a doctoral program and earned her Ph.D. in Social-Personality Psychology from the University of Rochester. She has been awarded many prestigious honors including the Energy Solutions Foundation Scholarship, and The University of Chicago’s Merit Scholarship. She was named as a Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull University Fellow (the University of Rochester’s most prestigious graduate fellowship), a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and was awarded the Certificate of Teaching Excellence from Harvard University in 2019. Emily continues to be active in athletics. An avid runner, she continues to enter and win races from 5 kilometers to marathons, and has also seen success in competitive rowing.

At the time of her induction into the Hall of Fame, Dr. Hangen serves as a College Fellow at Harvard University and is a postdoctoral member of the Stress & Development Lab. The overarching focus of Dr. Hangen’s research is understanding how social influences affect students’ approach and avoidance motivation, mental health, and academic achievement. The aim of her work is to explain motivational processes in order to inform instructional practices and to develop interventions that optimize student outcomes. She is widely published and respected in her field.

Accomplishments:

• Energy Solutions Foundation Scholarship

• National Honors Society officer, PHS 2009

• Social Science Sterling Scholar State Finalist, 2009

• Valedictorian, PHS 2009

• Eight varsity letters in cross-country and track & field, 2005-2009

• 2006 4x800m relay school record

• Cross Country Team Captain, 2008

• Track & Field Team Captain, 2009

• Cross-Country Academic All-State, 2008

• All-State Choir Award of Merit, 2008

• Dean’s List, University of Chicago, 2009-2013

• Merit Scholarship, University of Chicago, 2009-2013

• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Chicago

• Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull University Fellow, 2013-2019 (The University of Rochester’s most prestigious graduate fellowship)

• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, 2015-2019

• Emory Cowan award for best first-authored publication, University of Rochester Psychology department, 2018

• Ph.D. in Social-Personality Psychology from the University of Rochester

• College Fellow at Harvard University

• Certificate of Teaching Excellence, Harvard University, 2019

• Postdoctoral Award for Professional Development, Harvard University, 2020