In the age of Zoom schooling, few researchers’ work resonates quite like Richard Mayer’s. A distinguished professor of psychology in UC Santa Barbara’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, he studies how people learn — particularly in computer-based environments.



In his more than 40 years at UCSB he has won numerous awards for his contributions. The latest: The UCSB Academic Senate has awarded Mayer the Faculty Research Lecture Award for 2020-21.



“I congratulate Rich on receiving the highest honor bestowed by UC Santa Barbara’s faculty senate,” said Pierre Wiltzius, executive dean of the College of Letters and Science. “His contributions to the science of learning have greatly advanced both educational theory and practice. As a pioneer in his field and a leading scholar on this campus, he is most deserving of this prestigious recognition.”