“I am compelled to join the SCI board because solar cooking is a simple and sustainable solution to many issues that are dear to my heart. As a researcher and advocate for women and their families, solar cooking appeals to me since it increases their safety and protects their health. Solar cooking provides an opportunity for women to become economically self-sufficient and girls to attend school. Plus, solar cooking is good for the environment.”
Dr. Peg Barratt is a professor of Applied Social Psychology at George Washington University (GW) in Washington, DC, with a particular interest in child development. She integrates solar cooking into her courses, emphasizing the importance of behavior change in spreading its adoption. Her passion for solar cooking began in 2006 when she built her first solar cooker with her son for a science project. Since then, she has actively promoted solar cooking in Cameroon, Japan, and The Gambia, attended the 2014 Solar Cookers International (SCI) World Conference in Sacramento, and collaborated with long-time SCI volunteer Afzal Syed. She has also demonstrated solar cooking and drying on Cable TV’s Emerald Planet.
Dr. Barratt joined the SCI Board of Directors in early 2019 and became Board President in 2025. She is deeply committed to the expansion of solar cooking, recognizing its significant benefits for human health, children’s well-being, and environmental sustainability. She was especially drawn to the impact on children—reducing smoke inhalation, freeing household funds for education, and allowing parents more time with their families. She was honored to be part of SCI’s delegation to COP in Egypt, where she witnessed the organization’s outreach efforts firsthand and spoke on solar cooking. At home, she is an enthusiastic solar cook, with chocolate chip cookies and lentil stew among her favorites.
Beyond SCI, Dr. Barratt has a distinguished academic and leadership background. She was Dean of the Columbian College at GW, held leadership roles at the National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, and Michigan State University, and directed the Institute for Children, Youth, and Families. She spent 19 years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, chairing the psychology department and earning a Distinguished Teaching Award. A Fulbright Scholar, she conducted cross-cultural research in Japan and taught through Semester at Sea.
She holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Wisconsin–Madison and psychology degrees from Michigan State University. A fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science, her research is widely published.
Beyond work, she enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking, running, jewelry-making, and welding.