Psychology Professor Granted Tenure

Psychology professor Matthew K. Nock, whose work focuses on self-injury and suicidal behavior, has been granted tenure, the University announced last week.

A member of the faculty since 2003, Nock has garnered many national and University awards, including two Harvard teaching awards and two American Psychological Association awards for his scientific contributions to the academic community.

The psychologist, whose teaching repertoire at Harvard includes a course on self-destructive behaviors, said he chose to continue his work at Harvard largely due to quality of the student body, whose passion for research has made his time at the University "really exciting."

Nock’s research seeks to explain why people commit suicide and engage in non-suicidal self-injury, such as burning or cutting themselves. Studies have shown that non-suicidal self-injury is a psychological disorder that affects roughly 4 percent of American adults and perhaps as high as 21 percent of adolescents, according to the press release announcing Nock’s appointment.

“As people age they [learn] healthier ways of coping with problems they are experiencing,” said Nock, adding that behaviors like burning or cutting are generally viewed as a “maladaptive way to regulate one’s emotions.”

Nock is currently serving as a co-Principal Investigator on a five-year U.S. Army study about American soldiers suffering from suicidal behavior.

“In some cases, more soldiers die by suicide than in combat, which is really concerning,” said Nock, adding that the rate of suicide in the army has “skyrocketed” in recent years.

Though the study has only just begun, Nock said that he hopes its findings will help prevent suicides in the Army and lead researchers to develop a better understanding of suicide in the general population.

—Staff writer Gautam S. Kumar can be reached at gkumar@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Julia L. Ryan can be reached at jryan@college.harvard.edu.