He plays numerous public roles, including Vice President of the International Social Science Council (October 2013- present) and President of the International Union of Psychological Science (July 2012- present). Cooper completed his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of South Africa and his PhD at Boston University (1989). He received many awards, among others: ‘Distinguished Contributions to the Advancement of International Psychology’ award (2014) from the American Psychological Association and Violence Prevention Award from Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Centre.