Edward L. Deci is Gowen Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Rochester. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Carnegie-Mellon University and was an interdisciplinary post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University. For 48 years Deci has been engaged in a program of research on human motivation, much of it in collaboration with Richard M. Ryan.

Deci has published eleven books, including Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness (Ryan & Deci, 2017, Guilford). He has received grants from NIH, NSF, IES, and Gates Foundation, has lectured at over 100 universities, and has consulted in 24 countries.