Alexandra Rutherford

Alexandra Rutherford is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at York University, Toronto, where she employs critical historical and qualitative methodologies to investigate the evolution of the human sciences. Her research examines how psychological expertise impacts society and is shaped by social-political contexts, with a focus on feminist psychology and policy in the United States from the 1940s to present. She founded and directs the Psychology's Feminist Voices multimedia digital archive and is an active member of York's Centre for Feminist Research.

Rutherford's scholarly work centers on documenting women's contributions to psychology and analyzing gender dynamics within the discipline. She investigates the historical interplay between feminist movements and psychological science, emphasizing how societal structures influence scientific practice and policy formation. Her research bridges historical analysis with contemporary feminist theory to critique the discipline's development.

As a leader in psychological organizations, Rutherford served as president of the Society for the History of Psychology (2013) and the Society for General Psychology (2018-19). She has held significant editorial roles including Editor of the Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences (2019-2024) and Associate Editor of American Psychologist, while currently serving on the editorial board of Feminism & Psychology and the advisory board of the Center for the History of Psychology.

The Psychology's Feminist Voices project, under her direction, functions as a comprehensive digital research hub preserving primary sources, oral histories, and multimedia materials documenting women's roles in psychology's past and present. This initiative serves as both an educational resource and an active research platform for scholars examining gender and feminism in the human sciences.