Sian Leah Beilock is a cognitive scientist by training and is the 19th President of Dartmouth. She previously served as the eighth president of Barnard College at Columbia University.

At Dartmouth, Sian has positioned the institution as a global leader on some of the most pressing issues in higher education and the world. During her tenure, Dartmouth has instituted a data-driven approach to lead the Ivy League in reinstating standardized testing as part of the holistic admissions process; drastically expanded affordability for middle income families; championed the importance of having dialogue across difference; and recommitted to its moniker as the “Big Green” with a historic $500M investment in infrastructure renewal.

A distinguished cognitive scientist, Sian is one of the world’s foremost experts on performance under pressure. Her groundbreaking research earned her the 2017 Troland Award from the National Academy of Sciences, and she is also a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the highest honors in her field.

Her expertise extends beyond academia, and she has worked closely with Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, and public sector leaders to build high-performing teams and create environments that attract, retain, and get the best out of their talent.

Sian has authored 120+ peer-reviewed papers, as well as two critically-acclaimed books—Choke and How the Body Knows Its Mind—that have been published in more than a dozen languages. Her 2017 TED talk on performing under pressure has been viewed nearly 3 million times.

Previously, Sian served as President of Barnard College at Columbia University and Executive Vice Provost at the University of Chicago, where she was also the Stella M. Rowley Professor of Psychology. She earned her Bachelor of Science in cognitive science from the University of California, San Diego, and doctorates of philosophy in both kinesiology and psychology from Michigan State University.