Dave Paunesku is co-founder and executive director of PERTS, a Stanford University center that scales up evidence-based innovations in order to advance educational equity. Dave’s work integrates learning sciences research, low-cost technologies, and strategic partnerships because he believes this integrated approach is critical to scaling up innovations to reach the millions of students who need them most.

In 2010, Dave pioneered a new methodology for the large-scale, cost-effective implementation and evaluation of mindset programs. His research showed for the first time that mindset programs can raise student achievement, even when administered using low-cost, easy-to-scale web modules. This approach has been widely imitated since, and Dave continues to push the field’s boundaries: He plays a key role in nearly all of the largest ongoing mindset program evaluations, and he has led partnerships that have disseminated mindset programs to millions of students.