Dr. Matthew Nock

Biography

Matthew K. Nock is the Edgar Pierce Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. His research focuses on advancing the understanding of harmful behaviors, with a particular emphasis on suicide and forms of self-harm. Nock employs a multi-disciplinary approach that utilizes a range of methodological strategies, including epidemiologic surveys, laboratory experiments, and clinic-based studies, to investigate the development, prediction, and prevention of these behaviors. His work has been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the Army, and various private foundations, leading to over 100 publications in scientific journals and book chapters. Nock received his Ph.D. in psychology from Yale University in 2003, and completed his clinical internship at Bellevue Hospital and the New York University Child Study Center. He has received numerous early career awards from organizations such as the American Psychological Association and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and was honored with the MacArthur ‘Genius’ Award in 2011. At Harvard, he teaches courses on statistics, research methods, self-destructive behaviors, developmental psychopathology, and cultural diversity, receiving the Roslyn Abramson Teaching Award and the Petra Shattuck Prize for his teaching contributions.

Research Interests