Patrick Dwyer is an assistant professor of philanthropic studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He teaches courses on donor motivations, behaviors, and engagement, and on institutional fundraising and grant writing. He joined the faculty in 2017 after completing a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He earned his doctorate in social psychology at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses broadly on motivation, emotion and social action. Some of the questions that inspire his work are: Why do people help others, and when and why do they look the other way? What are the benefits of gratitude, and is it ever a bad idea to say "thanks"? And, how can psychology be used to promote sustainable behaviors, and to increase community involvement?