A widely respected University psychology professor died Wednesday following a long illness, said Patricia Miller, the psychology department head.

Mike Kernis, an expert in his field, had been at the University since 1989. He regularly taught classes on social psychology and the psychology of the self.

Miller declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding Kernis’ death in order to respect the wishes of his family.

“[Kernis] was always full of life, and I rarely saw him without a big smile and something funny to say,” Miller said in a phone interview Thursday.

Victoria Plaut, a psychology professor, was one of Kernis’s closest coworkers.

“He was a brilliant social psychologist, an expert on the self and a great colleague,” Plaut said in a phone interview Thursday.

The psychology department was informed of Kernis’ death early Thursday afternoon, Plaut said. At that time, few details were known.

“Everyone here in the department is shocked and saddened,” Plaut said. “It really is a big loss.”

Keith Campbell, an associate professor of psychology and another of Kernis’ colleagues, was shaken by the news.

“He’s been ill for a while, but he’s a very strong person,” Campbell said in a phone interview Thursday. “We were hoping he would pull through.”

“He was a wonderful researcher,” Campbell said. “And a very caring person who supported people’s autonomy.”

Kernis’s research has appeared in venues such as MSNBC and WebMD. In 2001, he received the University’s Creative Research Medal, and he was a research fellow within the University’s Institute for Behavioral Research. He was studying fragile self-esteem and its role in psychological functioning.

“I know he was very widely respected in the field of social psychology,” said Janet Frick, a psychology professor. “He was just a nice person – a super colleague and somebody really interested in the development of students.”

Kernis had been through a long, painful battle with cancer, Frick said in a phone interview Thursday.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been determined.