Icek Ajzen is a distinguished social psychologist and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He received his B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1967, followed by an M.A. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1967 and 1969, respectively. Ajzen began his academic career as Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1969 to 1971. He then joined the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1971, advancing through the ranks to Associate Professor (1974-1978) and Professor of Psychology (1978-2012). During his tenure, he served multiple terms as Head of the Division of Personality and Social Psychology (1980-1985, 1997-1999, 2001-2012) and as Associate Chair of the Department of Psychology (1987-1993).

Ajzen's research centers on attitudes, persuasion, and the prediction of behavior, most notably his development of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which elucidates how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence intentions and actions. His landmark publication, "The Theory of Planned Behavior" (1991, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes), has been cited over 180,000 times according to Google Scholar. Other influential works include books such as "Predicting and Changing Behavior: The Reasoned Action Approach" (2010, with Martin Fishbein), "Attitudes, Personality, and Behavior" (2nd ed., 2005), and "Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior" (1980, with Fishbein). The TPB has had widespread impact across disciplines including health, environmental, and consumer psychology. Ajzen has been honored with the 2025 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences, the 2013 Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, the 2016 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology's Attitudes and Social Influence Interest Group, and designation as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2005. He has also contributed editorially as Associate Editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1994-1999) and consulting editor for several journals.