Ruth Kanfer (born February 1, 1955) is a psychologist and professor at Georgia Institute of Technology in the area of Industrial/ Organizational psychology. She is best known for her research in the fields of motivation and self regulation in work settings. Kanfer has received numerous awards for her research contributions including the American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution in Applied Research in 1989, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) William R. Owens Scholarly Achievement Award in 2006 and the SIOP Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award in 2007. Ruth Kanfer has authored influential papers on a variety of topics including the effects of Advanced Placement courses on college performance, motivation in the aging workforce, emotion regulation, and person determinants of contextual work behaviors.