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Robert Sommer

Robert Sommer was an Environmental Psychologist and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis.

  • Known for his book Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design, first published in 1969, he wrote 14 other books and more than 600 publications on a variety of subjects
  • Environmental psychology included research in mental hospitals, libraries, classrooms, and living spaces
  • Taught in Sweden and the University of Alberta, and then at the University of California, Davis in 1963
  • Consulting work included the design of bicycle paths, residence halls, geriatric housing, airports, offices, prisons, farmers’ markets, and other facilities
  • Received a number of awards including: City-University Research Award, City of Davis; Research Award, California Alliance for the Mentally Ill; Career Research Award, Environmental Design Research Association; Kurt Lewin Award, Division 9 APA; Fulbright Award to Estonia, USSR; and many others
  • Received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1956

Robert Sommer passed away on February 27, 2021.

Last updated 3/4/21