Leidy Klotz

Leidy Klotz is a professor, behavioral scientist, and author whose research has influenced approaches to problem-solving and design. Klotz holds the Copenhaver Associate Professorship at the University of Virginia, with appointments in the Schools of Engineering, Architecture, and Business. His work explores the intersections of engineering and behavioral science, focusing on the development of more sustainable systems.

Before entering academia, Klotz designed schools in New Jersey and played professional soccer. This combination of practical design experience, athletic discipline, and academic research informs his perspective on how individuals and organizations create change.

Klotz is known for the book "SUBTRACT: The Untapped Science of Less," which examines how people tend to add rather than subtract when solving problems, often to their detriment. The book has been translated into multiple languages and has influenced fields such as psychology, environmental science, business, well-being, and education. His earlier book, "Sustainability Through Soccer," uses the sport to explore systems thinking. In "IN A GOOD PLACE: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive," Klotz draws on evidence from psychology and architecture to demonstrate how physical environments can support psychological needs for agency, competence, and connection.

Klotz has published two books, with a third in press, and more than 80 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals including Nature and Science. He has contributed to publications such as The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Scientific American. Klotz has secured over $10 million in competitive research funding, including a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation and an award through the NSF's INSPIRE program. At the University of Virginia, he co-founded and co-directs the Convergent Behavioral Science Initiative, which brings together faculty and students from multiple disciplines to conduct applied, interdisciplinary research.

Klotz has worked with organizations including the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, Capital One, and Amazon, and regularly presents at universities and professional organizations. He has received institution-level teaching awards and was recognized as one of 40-under-40 professors who inspire. Klotz was an early adopter of massive open online courses, with one offered through Coursera that has reached tens of thousands of learners globally. He is committed to equity in education, with more than three quarters of his advisees coming from groups underrepresented in their fields, and his research has identified new pathways for these groups into engineering. Klotz engages audiences across business, education, and policy sectors, encouraging new perspectives on problem-solving and sustainable design.