Canadian psychologist
Gordon Robert Pennycook is a Canadian psychologist who is an associate professor at Cornell University.[1] He is also an adjunct professor of Behavioural Science at the University of Regina's Hill and Levene Schools of Business. In 2020, he was elected to be a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists.
Early life and education
Pennycook grew up in Carrot River, Saskatchewan, Canada.[2] He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Saskatchewan before enrolling at the University of Waterloo for his Master's degree and PhD.[3] At the University of Waterloo, Pennycook co-authored On the Reception and Detection of Pseudo-Profound Bullshit which won the 2016 Ig Nobel Peace Prize.[4] Upon graduating, he received the Governor General's Gold Medal for outstanding scholastic achievements of a student in Canada and accepted a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale University.[5] As a Postdoctoral Fellowship, Pennycook became interested in fake news and conducted studies on people sharing misinformation on social media.[6]
Career
Following his Postdoctoral Fellowship, Pennycook became an assistant professor of Behavioural Science at the University of Regina's Hill and Levene Schools of Business. In 2018, he received a research grant from the Miami Foundation to examine why people fall for fake and hyperpartisan news.[7] He also edited a book, The New Reflectionism in Cognitive Psychology: Why Reason Matters and authored five book chapters. As a result of his academic achievements, Pennycook received the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science (CSBBCS) Vincent Di Lollo Early Career Award.[8] Later that year, Pennycook was named a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists.[9]
