Jay Brandenberger, Ph.D.

Dr. Jay Brandenberger is an adjunct faculty member with the ACE Teaching Fellows. He also serves as the director of research and assessment at the Center for Social Concerns, and as concurrent associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Notre Dame. His research interests include social cognition, moral and ethical theory/development, and assessment of student outcomes in higher education. He directs research initiatives at the Center and is the editor of the Center's Research Report Series.  Prior to his work at the Center, Brandenberger helped to found Guadalupe Azlan school in Texas for children from Mexico, and taught at Waynesburg College (PA) and the University of Pittsburgh.

Brandenberger also coordinates—with Center colleagues—various academic initiatives at the Center, fostering partnerships with academic units on campus. He teaches interdisciplinary courses incorporating community-based learning and research. He is a fellow of the Institute for Educational Initiatives, and a recipient of the Notre Dame Frank O'Malley Undergraduate Teaching Award. 

He serves on the review boards of various journals, and has collaborated on national research initiatives examining means to enhance social responsibility, leadership, and moral development. His work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, and the Journal of College Student Development.

Brandenberger is a 1978 graduate of Notre Dame, with a B.A. in English, and earned his Ph.D. in educational and developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1991.