Mesmin Destin
Affiliate
Associate Professor of Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University
I study the ways that socioeconomic environments influence cognition and motivation.
Mesmin Destin directs a multidisciplinary lab group and investigates social psychological mechanisms underlying socioeconomic disparities in educational outcomes during adolescence and young adulthood. Using laboratory and field experiments, Destin studies factors that influence how young people perceive themselves and pursue their futures. At the university level, Destin examines how social experiences and institutional structures shape the motivation, well-being, and educational trajectories of lower socioeconomic status and first-generation college students.