Current Position and Past Experience
Leo Schumann is the inaugural Director of Action Research at the University of Pittsburgh, where he leads the Student Success Action Research Collaborative (SSARC), a joint initiative between the Office of the Provost and the Learning Research and Development Center. With a background in social psychology, he translates behavioral science into practical approaches that support student success, from retention to graduation. His work centers on partnering with campus communities to design and evaluate initiatives that promote belonging, motivation, and resilience.

Before joining Pitt, Leo spent over 15 years designing and scaling psychological interventions across educational settings, including collaborations with Stanford University, the San Francisco Unified School District, and Western Governors University. He is driven by the idea that meaningful change comes through action, and works to foster cultures of continuous, evidence-informed improvement.

Education, Honors and Achievements
Leo Schumann holds a Master's degree in Health Psychology and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Waterloo in Canada. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Social and Health Psychology at Stanford University, where he co-founded the College Transition Collaborative, a research-practice partnership focused on scaling belonging interventions in higher education.

Personal Details and Community Involvement
Leo is an avid distance runner, from 5Ks to ultramarathons, drawn to the rare space running creates: body in motion, still mind. Even outside of work, he returns to the questions that animate his career—what drives motivation, what it takes to thrive—and is currently writing a book on the science of engagement. His TEDx Talk explores some of these themes.