Sarah A. Schnitker, Ph.D.

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Davis, 2010

B.S., Grove City College, 2002

Biography

Dr. Sarah Schnitker is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Baylor University. She holds a Ph.D. and an MA in Personality and Social Psychology from the University of California, Davis, and a BA in Psychology from Grove City College. 

Academic Interests and Research

Schnitker studies virtue and character development in adolescents and emerging adults, with a focus on the role of spirituality and religion in virtue formation. She specializes in the study of patience, self-control, gratitude, generosity, and thrift. Schnitker has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and edited chapters, and she has procured more than $16 million in funding as a principal investigator on multiple research grants. Schnitker is an Associate Editor for Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, an Editorial Board member for Journal of Research in Personality, and a co-editor of the Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality. She is a dedicated mentor, having served as dissertation advisor for more than 20 doctoral students, whom she helps to cultivate intellectual virtues alongside scientific competencies.

More information about her research please visit the Science of Virtues website.  

Representative Publications

Newman, D. B., Balkaya-Ince, M., Nelson, J., Tsang, J., & Schnitker, S. A. (2025). Feelings of gratitude to Allah and people and their associations with affect in daily life. Cognition and Emotion, 39(4), 821-828. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2024.2399715

Bronk, K. C., Swanson, Z., Whitney, W., Balkaya-Ince, M., & Schnitker, S. A. (2025). Exploring conceptions of patience among a sample of Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, and non-religious young adults. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000544

Nelson, J. M., Jeffrey, A., Ferguson, M. A., & Schnitker, S. A. (2025). Learning from Anishinaabe principles of relationality, process, and reciprocity to expand the reach of positive psychology and address loneliness. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 10(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-024-00212-y

Ratchford, J. L., Cazzell, A., Wood, E., Owens, B., Quinn, R., & Schnitker, S. A. (2024). The virtue counterbalancing circumplex model: An illustration with patience & courage. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 19(3), 406-418. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2023.2178960

Ratchford, J. L., Pawl, T., Jeffrey, A., & Schnitker, S. A. (2024). What is virtue? Using philosophy to improve psychology definition and operationalization. Philosophical Psychology, 37(8), 2597-2622. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2023.2203157

Ratchford, J. L., & Schnitker, S. A. (2024). Virtue in pursuit of goals: A goals-based approach to patience measurement. Journal of Personality Assessment, 106(2), 181-195.https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2023.2219846

Complete list of published works at my CV or google scholar profile.

Grants Funded- Found on CV 

Awards

International Positive Psychology Association Spirituality and Meaning Division Researcher Award, 2025

Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 36), 2023-present

Baylor Fellow (award for excellence and creativity in teaching), 2023-24

International Positive Psychology Association SIPPA Mentor Award, 2021

Virginia Sexton APA Division 36 Mentoring Award, 2018

Graduate Student Recruitment

Dr. Schnitker is currently accepting applications for Ph.D. students.

Current Post-docs and Research Scientists

Hiroki Matsuo

Elizabeth Bounds

Current Ph.D. Students

Karim Kerasha

Allison Alford

Robert Ridder

Baylor Courses Taught

• PSY 3310: Social Psychology
• PSY 3350: Developmental Psychology
• PSY 5330: Advanced Personality Psychology (graduate seminar)