Research Interests
- Individual differences
- Measurement
- Gender and sexuality
- Behavior genetics
My dual expertise in genetic methods and psychological assessment has led to the development of a research program organized around understanding how people, for all the fundamental similarities across members of our species, display such remarkable diversity and flexibility of behavior.
I am not accepting new graduate students for Fall 2026.
Education
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado
Psychology, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Psychology, B.S., Carnegie Mellon University
Courses Taught
- PSYC 408: Human Behavior Genetics (Fall) (open materials)
- PSYC 567: Personality Assessment (Spring) (open materials)
Additional Campus Affiliations
Associate Professor, Psychology
Affiliate, Social & Behavioral Sciences Institute
Recent Publications
Junkins, E. J., Derringer, J., Ogolsky, B. G., Hardesty, J. L., & Weisberg, Y. (2026). Measures of Relationship Power Dynamics in Romantic Relationships. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 18(1), 170-191. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.70019
Kunstman, B. L., Woosley, A. M., & Derringer, J. (Accepted/In press). Public Perception of Genetic Research on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Behavior genetics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-026-10257-1
Junkins, E. J., Briley, D. A., Ogolsky, B. G., & Derringer, J. (2025). Examination of Repeated Measurement of Personality, Social Relationships and Mental Health in a Sexual and Gender Diverse Sample. International Journal of Psychology, 60(4), Article e70069. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.70069
Junkins, E. J., & Derringer, J. (2025). Gather Demographic Data About Gender, Sexuality, and Relational Identities: Asking the Right Questions. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/25152459251391186
Junkins, EJ., Ogolsky, BG., & Derringer, J. (2025). Not Like Everybody Else but We're the Same: Psychosocial Variables Compared Across Diverse Sexual and Gender Identities. Journal of Personality, 93(4), 998-1012. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12989