Nielsen honored with lifetime achievement award

May 9, 2023

Education professor Linda Nielsen has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in the field of adolescent and educational psychology. 

The National Parents Organization, whose mission is to protect every child’s right to the care of both parents after separation or divorce, announced the award in April.  

“National Parents Organization celebrates the impressive research that Nielsen has done. It has not only advanced our knowledge but, to the extent that it has informed legislation and practice, it has improved the lives of parents and children around the world,” said the organization in a letter announcing the honor.

For more than three decades, Nielsen has taught the only known college class in the U.S. devoted exclusively to father-daughter relationships. Her research has established her as one of the world’s foremost experts on the topic and a recognized expert on shared physical custody for children of divorce. Her work has influenced child custody law reform in the U.S. and abroad.

“I am honored that my decades of research about fathers’ relationships with their children has been recognized by the largest shared parenting organization in the world,” said Nielsen. “I’m especially pleased knowing that my research has had such an impact on custody laws worldwide in ways that give children and fathers more time together. This lifetime achievement award inspires me to continue dismantling the demeaning myths and damaging stereotypes that weaken and restrict so many fathers’ relationships with their sons and daughters.”

Nielsen’s latest book, Myths & Lies About Dads: How They Hurt Us All, was recently published by Routledge.

For more information about Nielsen’s work, visit her website at go.wfu.edu/nielsen.