Nicki R. Crick

Crick died on October 28, 2012 at the age of 54 from cancer.

Crick received prestigious awards for her contributions as a scientist, including the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Psychology in 2002 and the Boyd McCandless Award from APA Division 7 (Developmental Psychology) in 1995. She was a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association (Division 7).

Crick received her B.A./B.S. degree in psychology and a master's degree in human development and family studies at Purdue University. She went to graduate school at Vanderbilt University where she obtained her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology in 1992, under the supervision of Kenneth Dodge. After graduating, she joined the faculty of the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. In 1996, Crick moved to the University of Minnesota where she served on the faculty of the Institute of Child Development.

Nicki Rae Crick (February 6, 1958 – October 28, 2012) was a psychologist and professor of child development and family studies known internationally for her research on relational aggression, defined as the use of relationships as agents of harm (e.g., via gossiping, social exclusion, withdrawing affection). At the time of her death, she held the position of Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychology at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota.