Angela Duckworth is the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and faculty co-director of the Penn-Wharton Behavior Change for Good Initiative.
A 2013 MacArthur Fellow, Angela has advised the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs.
Prior to her career in research, Angela founded a summer school for underserved children that was profiled as a Harvard Kennedy School case study and, in 2023, celebrated its 30th anniversary. She has also been a McKinsey management consultant and a math and science teacher at public schools in New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Angela also co- founded Character Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing scientific insights that help children thrive.
Angela completed her undergraduate degree in Advanced Studies Neurobiology at Harvard. With the support of a Marshall Scholarship, she completed an MSc with Distinction in Neuroscience from Oxford University. She completed her PhD in Psychology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.
Angela’s TED talk is among the most viewed of all time. Her first book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance was a #1 New York Times bestseller and has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. Her second book Situated: Find the People and Places that Bring Out Your Best, is also an instant New York Times bestseller.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A wise psychologist (named Danny Kahneman) shared his rules for endorsing books, which I have adapted to the following. First, only endorse books you have the time to read cover to cover. Second, only endeavor to read books that are meaningfully connected to your current work. These two rules mean that I probably cannot help—but kudos to you…writing a book is one of the most heroic things anyone can do!
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Please contact Lyndsey Blessing (lyndsey@inkwellmanagement.com).
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At present, my lab is full! I am not currently accepting new students.
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I teach Grit Lab and Leading With Grit. If you are a current Penn or Wharton undergraduate, or a current Wharton MBA student, check the Penn Registrar for details. There are no volunteer opportunities at present in my lab, but with further questions, or for being included in a volunteer waiting list, please contact Paolo Terni (pterni@sas.upenn.edu) with further questions, or to be added to our volunteer waitlist.