Robert W. Lent is Professor, Counseling Psychology Program, Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, University of Maryland. He received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from The Ohio State University in 1979. After serving as Staff Psychologist at the University of Minnesota's Student Counseling Bureau from 1979-85, he joined the counseling psychology faculty at Michigan State University (1985-95). He has been at the University of Maryland since 1995.

Dr. Lent has published extensively on such topics as career choice and decision-making, inclusion of women and students of color in STEM fields, career self-management and transitions, academic and work satisfaction, and technology and the future of work. His other research interests include counselor training and development, emotional well-being and psychological wellness, relationship adjustment processes, and promotion of health behaviors. Dr. Lent is a Fellow of Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA). He is also a recipient of the Leona Tyler Award for Lifetime Achievement in Counseling Psychology (Division 17, APA) and the Eminent Career Award (National Career Development Association). Dr. Lent is co-editor, with S.D. Brown, of the Handbook of counseling psychology (4 editions) and Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (3 editions). Along with M.L. Savickas, he has also co-edited, Convergence in career development theories: Implications for science and practice. He is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Counseling Psychology and the Journal of Vocational Behavior.