Sian Leah Beilock

Beilock is a scholar whose research explores the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying human performance, particularly the phenomenon of "choking under pressure". Over a career spanning more than two decades, she has worked in academic research and higher education leadership. Before assuming the Dartmouth presidency in June 2023, Beilock served as the eighth president of Barnard College in New York City from 2017 to 2023. Prior to her administrative roles, she was the Stella M. Rowley Professor of Psychology and executive vice provost at the University of Chicago.

Early Life

Beilock developed interests in athletics and the science of human performance, which later converged in her research on the intersection of psychology and physical skill execution.

Education

Beilock earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, San Diego. She pursued graduate studies at Michigan State University, where she completed both a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Her training in psychological theory and movement science shaped an academic profile focused on how the brain and body interact during high-stakes situations, from standardized testing to competitive sports.

Academic Research

Beilock has studied performance in athletic contexts, examining how expert athletes can perform worse when they pay too much attention to well-learned motor skills. Her experimental work has been published in journals including the Journal of Experimental Psychology. In recognition of her research contributions, Beilock received the Troland Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences in 2017. Beyond her peer-reviewed publications, Beilock has engaged in public communication of science. She authored a Psychology Today blog titled "Choke," in which she discussed the science of performance under pressure for a general audience. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has cited her work in discussions of educational policy and the effects of anxiety on student achievement across countries.

University of Chicago

At the University of Chicago, Beilock held the Stella M. Rowley Professorship of Psychology, one of the university's named chairs.

Presidency of Barnard College (2017–2023)

During her six-year tenure at Barnard, Beilock led the college through a period that included the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beilock served as Barnard's president until June 2023, when she was succeeded by Laura Rosenbury.

Presidency of Dartmouth College (2023–present)

On July 21, 2022, Dartmouth College announced that Beilock had been selected as its 19th president, making her the first woman to be elected to the position by the college's Board of Trustees. She succeeded Philip J. Hanlon, who had served as Dartmouth's president since 2013. Beilock formally assumed the presidency on June 12, 2023. Her leadership has drawn attention within and beyond the Ivy League for its emphasis on reaffirming the institution's academic mission and for her willingness to engage publicly with questions about the purpose and structure of college education. In a November 2025 "State of the College" address to the Dartmouth faculty, Beilock outlined the institution's progress on several major priorities and described her approach as "doubling down on our academic mission." The address highlighted investments in faculty recruitment, research infrastructure, and the undergraduate experience as central elements of her presidential agenda. In October 2025, Beilock issued a public response to the White House's draft "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," articulating Dartmouth's perspective on the federal government's proposed framework for engaging with colleges and universities. The response positioned Dartmouth as one of nine universities that had been asked by the White House to provide feedback on the draft compact. In January 2026, Beilock authored an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal addressing whether a four-year college degree remains worth the investment, arguing that colleges and universities would need to make substantive changes to maintain public confidence in their value. Beilock has engaged with the Dartmouth campus community through formal and informal channels. In February 2026, the student newspaper The Dartmouth published a feature-length interview titled "76 Questions with College President Sian Leah Beilock," conducted at the president's residence.

Recognition

Among her scientific honors, Beilock received the Troland Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences in 2017 for her work in experimental psychology. She has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Academy's profile of Beilock notes her status as the first woman elected president of Dartmouth College by its Board of Trustees. Her research has been featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg News. The American Psychological Association has profiled her work on academic stress and performance. Her public engagement with the science of performance anxiety, including through her Psychology Today blog and media appearances, has reached audiences beyond the academic community. Beilock's appointment as the first woman to lead Dartmouth College, an institution founded in 1769, was noted as a milestone in national and international media coverage in 2022.

Legacy

Her presidencies at Barnard College and Dartmouth College have positioned her as a figure in national discussions about the purpose and direction of American higher education during a period of heightened public scrutiny of colleges and universities. As the first woman elected to the Dartmouth presidency by the Board of Trustees, Beilock's appointment marked a first in the history of the Ivy League.