Professor of Psychology at Tulane University
About
Michael Cunningham holds the academic rank of professor at Tulane University. He has a joint faculty appointment in the department of Psychology and the undergraduate program in Africana Studies. He serves as an associate provost for graduate studies and research in Tulane University’s Office of Academic Affairs.
As a developmental psychologist, Dr. Cunningham has a program of research that focuses on racial, ethnic, psychosocial, and socioeconomic processes that affect psychological well‐being, adjustment to chronic stressful events, and academic achievement among African American adolescents and their families.
Dr. Cunningham has received external funding from several sources including the National Science Foundation, The Mellon Foundation, the Louisiana Board of Regents, and U.S. The Department of Education. He has been recognized for his research from the National Research Council. He has received Tulane’s highest teaching award and been designated as a Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellow. He completed his doctoral work at Emory University after completing an undergraduate degree at Morehouse College. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.
Current Work:
Dr. Cunningham and his current graduate students are involved in several projects that include survey research in public schools to examine the social and educational experiences that lead to successful and challenging outcomes. He conducts qualitative interviews with emerging adults around questions of how racial and ethnic identity is associated with academic and mental health outcomes. His current professional service includes serving as an associate editor for Child Development, editor for Research in Human Development, and editorial member of the Journal of Negro Education. He also serves on the Society for Research in Child Development’s Governing Council, the Society for Research in Adolescence’s Executive Committee, the Council of Southern Graduate School’s Executive Committee, and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for the Educational Testing Services’ Board.
Research Area Keyword(s):
African American, adolescents, gender, achievement, resilience
