301 University Blvd.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Biography
Patrick Dwyer is an assistant professor of philanthropic studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He joined the faculty in 2017 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
He teaches courses on donor motivations, behaviors, and engagement, institutional fundraising and grant writing, and experimental methods. His research focuses on the psychology of philanthropy and examines the influences of people’s emotions, motivations, personalities, and relationships on their philanthropic behaviors.
His work has been published in a variety of academic journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, PLOS ONE, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, Journal of Environmental Psychology, The Journal of Social Psychology, British Journal of Social Psychology, European Journal of Social Psychology, Personality and Individual Differences, and Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy.
He received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Minnesota.
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Social Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Ph.D., Social Psychology, University of Minnesota
- B.A., Psychology, Vassar College
Courses Taught
Undergraduate
- Donor Motivations & Engagement II
Graduate
- Donor Behavior in Major & Planned Giving
- Experimental Research in Philanthropic Studies
- Institutional Fundraising
- Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector (co-instructor with Dwight Burlingame)
Publications
- A complete list of publications can be found on Patrick’s Google Scholar page.
Research Interests
- Psychology of philanthropy
- Prosocial motivations and emotions
- Social influences on philanthropy
- Gratitude and giving
- Personality and fundraising
- Quantitative research
- Experimental methods
Honors and Awards
- The Top 10 Insights from the “Science of a Meaningful Life” in 2020, Greater Good Magazine
- Best of the 2010s: Most Popular Articles from 2010-2019, Nonprofit Management and Leadership
- Dissertation Research Award, University of California, Berkeley, Greater Good Science Center / John Templeton Foundation