The Marjorie Roberts professorship is made possible by a gift from Marjorie Roberts, from the U of I Class of 1924. Roberts dedicated part of her estate to the College of LAS to support faculty members who demonstrate work that fosters inclusivity, excellence, and community.
Dr. Pomerantz's research is that of how to facilitate children's motivation and achievement in school. Dr. Pomerantz's research group focuses primarily on the role of parents, with a current study on how to support parents in optimizing children's learning in the area of math. A key theme of Dr. Pomerantz's research is understanding how the cultural context in which children and parents reside shapes children's motivation and achievement; to date, the focus has been on the United States and China.