Michelle McCauley
Professor of Psychology; Executive Vice President and Provost
- Office
- Old Chapel 202
- Tel
- (802) 443-5720
- mccauley@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- Spring 2021: By appointment. Please email for a zoom link.
Michelle McCauley was appointed executive vice president and provost of Middlebury in 2024 after an 18-month interim appointment.
Michelle joined Middlebury’s Department of Psychology in 1995. She teaches research methods and applied courses in legal psychology, leadership, and environmental decision making.
Her research focuses on applying cognitive, social, and developmental theory to problems across multiple domains with a focus on applying psychological theory to today’s most pressing social issues. Over the last few years her scholarly efforts have primarily focused on the environment.
She oversees Middlebury’s Conservation Psychology Lab, where she collaborates with psychology and environmental studies students to research methods of promoting positive environmental behavior on campus, as well as understanding the basis of environmental engagement, policy support, and action beyond campus. Additionally, in 2021, Michelle co-founded The Vermont Center for Behavioral Science Research in Climate & Environment, which seeks to connect Vermont researchers interested in conducting interdisciplinary research to scalable solutions for environmental challenges.
Prior to her appointment as interim executive vice president and provost in 2022, Michelle was appointed director of the Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation.
Michelle has worked over the years as an expert witness and jury consultant. In addition to scholarly articles, Michelle has edited two academic books* and contributes environmental comics to the website Hurry Up Please it’s Time.
Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa in 1985, a Master of Science and PhD from Florida International University in 1993 and 1995, respectively.
*Evidence-Based Investigative Interviewing: Applying Cognitive Principles (2019). J. J. Dickinson, N. Schreiber Compo, R.N. Carol, B. L. Schwartz, & M. R. McCauley (Eds). Routledge Press.
*Child Abuse: A Global View (2001). B. M. Schwartz-Kenney, M. R. McCauley, and M. A. Epstein, (Eds). Greenwood Publishing Group.