ALEJANDRO ADLER Contact Information Positive Psychology Center aadler@sas.upenn.edu +1 (267) 235-4178 3701 Market St., Suite 200 Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA Personal Information: Mexican citizen, Polish citizen Education:, Philadelphia, PA School of Arts and Sciences Ph.D., Psychology, 2016 Research areas: positive psychology; education; skills; well-being and public policy Advisor: Martin Seligman PhD dissertation: Teaching Well-being Enhances Academic Performance: Evidence from Bhutan, Mexico, and Peru School of Arts and Sciences M.A., Psychology, 2012 Masters thesis: Whole-School Positive Education at Saint Peter s College, Adelaide College of Liberal and Professional Studies, Post Baccalaureate, 2011 Graduate Coursework: Development Economics; Advanced Macroeconomics; International Law of Human Rights; International Relations School of Arts and Sciences B.A., Psychology with honors, magna cum laude, 2010 The Wharton School B.S., Economics, magna cum laude, 2010 Graduate Honors: IPPA Best Dissertation Award 2017: The International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) recognizes the best doctoral dissertation from around the world every two years. Undergraduate Honors: Morris Viteles Award: one of four students in graduating psychology class of 85 students who received distinguished research awards for their senior thesis Vagelos Undergraduate Research Grant: one of 10 undergraduates awarded a research grant WIRE Research Grant: one of five students awarded an international grant by Wharton in 2009 American School Foundation, Mexico City, 1991-2005 Honors: Valedictorian of 160-student class of 2005 Ambassador s Award: given to one of 160 graduating seniors in 2005 who exhibits exceptional leadership, scholarship, and citizenship throughout primary and secondary school. Second place at the National Mathematics Olympiad competition in Mexico
Research Fields: Positive Psychology, Well-being, Skills, Education, Public Policy, Human Development Current grants: Principal Investigator: USD $55,000 from The Shawnee Institute for Positive Studies and Practice. The grant has been awarded to lead the research and practice of transforming a large vacation and recreation property in Pennsylvania into a global hub for well-being research, education, and social change. Principal Investigator: USD $45,000 from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The grant has been presented to use the best evidence-based well-being education programs to increase student and staff well-being and academic performance at a K-12 school. Principal Investigator: USD $12,822.50 from The Organization for International Migration in Colombia. The grant has been given to use the best available well-being measurement instruments to assess and enhance youth well-being in the organization s reintegration and recruitment-prevention programs in post-conflict Colombia. Co-Principal Investigator: USD $120,000 from the Department of Education of the State of South Australia. The grant has been awarded to incorporate well-being measurement (alongside mathematics, science, and literature) to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in over 70 countries starting in 2015. Previous grants: Principal Investigator: USD $68,000 from Quezon City Academy in the Philippines. This grant has been given to collect data on well-being, health, and academic performance in 30 schools in the Philippines, to train principals and teachers from these schools using a Positive Education curriculum, and to assist in the impact evaluation of the program. Professional Experience: Jan 2017 Present July 2016 Present May 2016 Present Consultant Advising the World Bank s Education Global Practice on their skills initiatives. I am currently working with the Ministries of Education of 15 countries in the Middle East and North Africa to infuse their national curricula and public policies with skills-based education. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Consultant Advising the OECD s Education Directorate on research and publications related to education, skills, and well-being, particularly on the 2015 and 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment s (PISA) inclusion of skills and well-being indicators as well as the OECD s Education 2030 global development agenda. Positive Psychology Center, Postdoctoral fellow and well-being scientist My current research and practice focuses on well-being, education, and public policy. I am currently working with the governments of Australia, Bhutan, China, Peru, and Mexico to infuse curricula across schools in each country with Positive Psychology and to measure the impact of these interventions on youth wellbeing, physical health, and academic achievement. June 2012 Dec 2015 United Nations Education and Well-being Expert
I worked with the United Nation s Development Program (UNDP) to help craft the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that went into effect starting 2015. Specifically, I co-developed the conceptualization, indicators, and interventions for Goal 3: Health and Well-Being. July 2012 Dec 2016 Government of South Australia, Australia Well-Being Adviser Worked with South Australia s Department of Education and Childhood Development to design education policy to promote skills and well-being in youth, do conduct impact assessments of these policies, and to connect students changes in skills and well-being to their scores on the OECD s Programme for International Student Assesment (PISA). May 2010 - Aug 2011 Center for High Impact Philanthropy, Research Fellow. Conducted and published impact evaluations to identify the best programs and public policy practices that address issues in the fields of international health, education, and economic development for the Center s donor investment guides. Publications: Adler, A., Unanue, W., Osin, E., Ricard, M., Alkire, S., & Seligman, M.E.P. (2017). Psychological Wellbeing. Happiness: Transforming the Development Landscape, The Center for Bhutan Studies and GNH: Bhutan, 118. Adler, A., Boniwell, I., Gibson, E., Metz, T., Seligman, M.E.P., Uchida, Y., & Xing, Z. (2017). Definitions of terms. Happiness: Transforming the Development Landscape, The Center for Bhutan Studies and GNH: Bhutan, 21. Adler, A. & Seligman, M.E.P. (2017) Student Well-Being. The Education 2030 Conceptual Learning Framework: A Tool to Build Common Understandings of Complex Concepts. OECD Publishing, Paris. Adler, A. (2017) Educación positiva: educando para el éxito académico y para la vida plena. Papeles del Psicólogo, (38)1. Adler, A. (2016). "Teaching well-being increases academic performance: Evidence from Bhutan, Mexico, and Peru" Scholarly Commons Journal. 1572. Adler, A. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2016) Using Well-being for Public Policy: Theory, Measurement, and Recommendations. International Journal of Well-being, 6(1). Adler, A. (2016) El impacto de las habilidades en el bienestar y desempeño académico: políticas públicas en Asia y Latinoamérica. Papeles del Psicólogo, (37)3. Wagner, D., Buek, K.E., Adler, A., Castillo, N.M., Zahra, F.T., Lee, J., Chittamuru, D., & Lee, S. (2016) Mind, Society, and Behavior by World Bank. Comparative Education Review, 60(3). Adler, A. (2016) Well-being Increases Academic Achievement. in White, M. A., Slemp, G. R., & Murray, S. (2016). Future directions in wellbeing, positive education, and character education: A collection of essays. Melbourne University Press: Australia. Kern, M., Waters, L., Adler, A., & White, M. A. (2015). A multifaceted approach to measuring wellbeing in students: Application of the PERMA framework. Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(3), 262-271.
Kern, M. L., Adler, A., Waters, L. E., & White, M. A. (2015). Measuring Whole-School Well-being in Students and Staff. In Evidence-Based Approaches in Positive Education (pp. 65-91). Springer Netherlands. Kern, M. L., Waters, L., Adler, A., & White, M. (2014). Assessing employee wellbeing in schools using a multifaceted approach: Associations with physical health, life satisfaction, and professional thriving. Psychology, 5(06), 500. Adler, A. (2013) La educación positiva: Un nuevo paradigma. La felicidad: Evidencia y experiencias para cambiar nuestro mundo. Santiago, Chile: Ediciones de La Sociedad de Neurología Psiquiatría y Neurocirugía. Adler, A. (2011) Gross National Happiness and Bhutan. Wharton Asia Economic Review. Spring Volume. Adler, A. (2010) "Gross National Happiness in Bhutan: A Living Example of an Alternative Approach to Progress." Wharton Research Scholars Journal. Adler, A. & Seligman, M. E. P. (under review) Increasing Well-being Enhances Academic Performance in Bhutan. American Education Research Association Open. Adler, A. & Seligman, M. E. P. (under review) Well-being and Academic Achievement: A Call for Research Action. International Review of Education. Adler, A., Jayawickreme, E., Rozin, P. (under review) Well-being, Happiness and Resilience in Philadelphia s Undocumented Mexican Immigrants. Transcultural Psychiatry. Invited Talks 2017 Teaching Well-being Skills Enhances Academic Performance: Evidence from Bhutan, Mexico, and Peru. The International Positive Psychology Association s 5 th Global Congress, Plenary Session. Montreal, Canada. Can well-being skills be taught at a large scale, and should they be taught in schools and beyond? Education Global Practice Brown Bag Lunch Series, The, Washington, DC, USA. 2016 Teaching Well-being Enhances Academic Performance International Festival of Positive Education, Dallas, USA. Implementing Positive Education at a National Policy Level. United Arab Emirates Ministry of Happiness Annual Seminar for Educators, Dubai, UAE. Well-being and Public Policy: Theory, Measurement, and Practice. Kazakhstan Ministry of Education Annual Conference on Taking Evidence to Scale, Astana, Kazakhstan. Positive Education as a New Educational Paradigm. ASEAN Conference for the Advancement of Education, Manila, Philippines. Positive Education in Chile: a Proposal for a Pilot Study. Bi-Annual Meeting of National Ministers, Santiago, Chile. Well-being as the New Global Development Paradigm: Research, Policy, and Practice Introductory Keynote
Speech at Second International Gathering of Municipalities for Well-being. Quillota, Chile. Positive Education: Lessons and Best Practices from Around the World. Second International Gathering of Municipalities for Well-being. Quillota, Chile. 2015 Positive Education: A Call for Research and Action. 5th International Gross National Happiness Conference, Paro, Bhutan. Educating for Academic Success and for Well-being. OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge, and Policy, Guadalajara, Mexico. Social and Emotional Learning in the Academic Curriculum. Ministry of Education, Mexico City, Mexico. Positive Education Practices in the Classroom. Healthy Relationships and Happiness Conference, Santiago, Chile. Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Well-being. Dermatology Residents Colloquium., Philadelphia, USA. The Happiness and Income Paradox. United Nations International Day of Happiness. United Nations (UN) Headquarters, New York, USA. Life Skills Training for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Gawad Kalinga Entrepreneurship Forum. Manila, Philippines. 2014 Positive Education Practices in the Classroom. Study Innovations Conference, Almaty, Kazakhstan Well-being, Education, and Public Policy. Ministry of Education, Astana, Kazakhstan. Increasing Well-being Enhances Academic Achievement in Bhutan. Psychology, Porto Alegre, Brazil. International Conference of Positive Socio-emotional Learning in Schools. International Conference on Education and Spirituality, Santiago, Chile. Measuring Youth Well-being at a Global Scale. OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Board Meeting, Dublin, Ireland. Positive Psychology and Education. Global Citizen s Forum. Mexico City, Mexico. Well-being and Public Policy: A Focus on Education. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Forum, Paris, France. Increasing Well-being Increases Academic Achievement. Healthy Relationships and Happiness Conference, Chilean Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neurosurgery Association. Santiago, Chile. Socio-emotional Learning in Schools. Paso a Paso: Well-Being and Education, World Bank and Peruvian Ministry of Education. Lima, Peru. 2013 Positive Psychology and Education. International Happiness and Creativity Conference. Medellin, Colombia. with Kern, M., Waters, L., & White, M. (2013) A Multifaceted Approach to Measuring Wellbeing in Students:
Application of the PERMA Framework. International Positive Psychology Conference. Los Angeles, USA. with Seligman, M.E.P. (2013) Towards a Flourishing World. International Experts Meeting for the New Development Paradigm. Thimphu, Bhutan. 2012 Positive Education: A New Pedagogical Paradigm. Healthy Relationships and Happiness Conference, Chilean Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neurosurgery Association. Santiago, Chile. Other Research Positions: Fall 2011-Spring 2016 Positive Psychology Center, PhD student in Positive Psychology at the under the supervision of Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology. Fall 2009/Spring 2010 Honors Psychology Senior Thesis, I conducted my year-long senior thesis under the supervision of Paul Rozin, Martin Seligman, and Eranda Jayawickreme. By combining focus groups and survey data, I identified the most predictive variables of participants well-being. My thesis was given one of four departmental awards from a Psychology graduating class of 85 students. It is currently in revision for publication in Transcultural Psychiatry. Summer 2009 Wharton International Research Experience, Bhutan Wharton awarded me one of five annual $6,000 grants for international research. During my 10-week research project, I collected data on how researchers generate the Gross National Happiness (GNH) index in Bhutan and how policy makers use the GNH index to generate public policies. My paper, Gross National Happiness in Bhutan: A Living Example of an Alternative Approach to Progress" was published in the October 2010 issue of the Wharton Research Scholars Journal. Computer Skills: Microsoft Office, JMP Statistics Software, SPSS, R (programming language) Language Skills: Spanish (native), English (native), Thai (conversational) French (beginner) References: Martin Seligman (PhD advisor) Psychology Department Address: Positive Psychology Center, 3701 Market St., Room 205 Phone: 215-898-7173 Email: seligman@psych.upenn.edu Angela Duckworth Psychology Department Address: Positive Psychology Center, 3701 Market St., Suite 200 Phone: 215-898-7173
Email: duckworth@psych.upenn.edu Paul Rozin Psychology Department Department: Psychology Address: Solomon Labs, 3720 Walnut St, Room B15 Phone: 215-898-7632 Email: rozin@psych.upenn.edu Philip Tetlock Psychology Department and The Wharton School Address: Solomon Labs, 3720 Walnut St, Room C8 Phone: 215-746-8541 Email: tetlock@wharton.upenn.edu Daniel A. Wagner Graduate School of Education Phone: 215-898-9803 Email: wagner@literacy.upenn.edu Manal Bakur N Quota Education Global Practice Phone: 202-473-5511 Email: mquota@worldbank.org Koji Miyamoto Education Global Practice Phone: 202-458-2273 Email: kmiyamoto@worldbank.org Harry Anthony Patrinos Education Global Practice Phone: 202-473-5510 Email: hpatrinos@worldbank.org