Noah Padgett

R. Noah Padgett, Ph.D., is a Research Associate with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. His research sits at the intersection of psychometrics, Bayesian statistical methods, and the science of human flourishing. He specializes in the development and application of advanced latent variable models, including moderated nonlinear factor analysis, factor analysis with categorical indicators, and measurement invariance testing, with a particular emphasis on cross-cultural and cross-national research contexts.

A core component of his work has been supporting the Global Flourishing Study, a landmark longitudinal study spanning 22 countries, for which he has developed and led the statistical analysis infrastructure across both waves of data collection. This work has led or contributed to over 100 peer-reviewed publications examining well-being, religion, prosociality, and related outcomes across diverse national contexts. He has also led psychometric validation efforts for new measures of meaning in life, interpersonal love, community wellbeing, and related constructs as part of the Human Flourishing Program's broader measurement agenda.

His methodological contributions include open-source software packages in R and SAS, Bayesian estimation frameworks for psychometric models, and novel approaches to discriminant validity assessment. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Baylor University and previously held a postdoctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Tyler VanderWeele.