Department of Psychology
Announcements
- July 14, 2025: Dr. Olivia Atherton was awarded a Hellman Fellowship.
- July 1, 2025: A very warm welcome to our three new faculty: Dr. Na Yeon Kim, Dr. Bernardette Pinetta, and Dr. Deepa Ramamurthy! In addition, please welcome our new vice chair, Dr. Liz Davis.
- June 18, 2025: Congratulations to Dr. Katherine Nelson-Coffey, a former Ph.D. student with Dr. Lyubomirsky, for winning the International Positive Psychology Association Early Career Researcher Award.
- June 1, 2025: Congratulations to Tania Rodriguez for being awarded a Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Research Grant.
- May 15, 2025: Chelsea McElwee, a Ph.D. student with Dr. Aerika Loyd, was awarded a $5000 mini-grant through the UCR Center for Healthy Communities.
- May 15, 2025: Two UCR Psychology undergraduate students (Jessica Boyd and Sierra Sutton) attended the 2025 Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) Conference as part of Dr. Aerika Loyd's collaborative grant with UCI and UCM. Their inspiring reflections are on the Cal-IHEA website.
Psychology in the News
August 18, 2025
Psychologist will use AI to study infant motor development
UCR study will examine how infants’ movements develop over time and how caregiving practices influence that growth
August 11, 2025
Psychologist elected fellow of American Psychological Association
Rachel Wu's research explores how infants and children learn and whether these methods can enhance adult cognitive development
August 07, 2025
Gossip is good for romance, study finds
“Spill the Tea, Honey: Gossiping Predicts Well-Being in Same- and Different-Gender Couples” is the name of a new study from UC Riverside psychology researchers that found gossip within couples is associated with greater happiness and better relationships.
August 06, 2025
For seniors: the mental health payoff of staying curious
New research shows that older adults who challenge themselves to learn new things are less likely to experience loneliness or depression, even during times of major upheaval.
July 29, 2025
Positive ethnic identity fosters STEM career aspirations
In a collaboration with a Chicago science museum, UCR psychology scholars find that when minority youth aspire toward careers in science and technology, their confidence and how they think society views their ethnic-racial group can play a crucial role.
July 02, 2025
Psychologist receives 2025 Bowlby-Ainsworth Award
Tuppett Yates is recognized for her research on attachment and trauma
June 09, 2025
Link among racial identity, GPAs, alcohol use studied
For many students of color, adjusting to college means navigating unfamiliar academic and social settings, often while also managing stress borne from experiences relating to race.
A UC Riverside study, which appeared in the journal Race and Social Problems, sought to better understand their experiences, to find what helped students to be more successful academically and what influenced maladaptive behaviors such as alcohol consumption.
June 09, 2025
Researchers contribute chapter to pediatric psychology handbook
Addressing DEI meaningfully will help reduce disparities and improve well-being, authors argue
Faculty in the News
- July 17, 2025: Dr. Rachel Wu was featured on apa.org.
- July 1, 2025: Dr. Rachel Wu was interviewed by WalletHub.com.
- June 18, 2025: Dr. Megan Robbins was interviewed by Vox.
- May 20, 2025: Dr. Tuppett Yates, the Department Chair, was featured in UCR Magazine.
- May 1, 2025: Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky was featured in The New York Times.
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