David DeLiema named 2025 McKnight Presidential Fellow

Dr. David DeLiema, associate professor and coordinator of the psychological foundations of education program in the Department of Educational Psychology, was recently named a 2025 McKnight Presidential Fellow. This prestigious three-year award recognizes exceptional mid-career faculty who have recently been promoted to associate professor. Fellows are selected based on scholarly excellence, leadership, and their potential to build top-tier programs that advance University priorities.

Dr. DeLiema is one of two University of Minnesota faculty members selected this year, alongside Dr. Justin Grinage from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Fellows are nominated by their college dean and selected by the Executive Vice President and Provost in recognition of their accomplishments and potential to advance the University's mission.

Dr. DeLiema's research focuses on the conversations, designs, and processes that shape how learning emerges from moments of impasse. Through research-practice partnerships that foreground the knowledge and voices of teachers, students, and parents, his work examines cognitive and psychological processes in the context of social interaction, technology-rich settings, play-based activities, and embodied movement.