2024-05-15 - In every workplace, there are unsung heroes who tirelessly contribute to the success of their teams. On May 11th, Melissa Odom was honored with the prestigious Departmental Staff Award, spotlighting her remarkable achievements and contributions. We took this opportunity to chat a bit and learn more about Melissa and her secret recipe for staying motivated and shining brightly on floor three....

2024-04-23 - Laura Hernandez has been honored with a three-year Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This prestigious fellowship is awarded to promising graduate students with outstanding potential for significant research contributions in their respective fields.  The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is highly competitive, with thousands of applicants...

2024-04-10 - Sylvia E was honored with the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious award established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater's legacy. Nationally, only 438 students were chosen from the 1,353 nominees to receive this esteemed award. The University of Illinois is proud to be one of only eight institutions with five awardees. Sylvia is currently majoring in brain and...

2024-03-26 - Assistant Professor Violeta Rodriguez was selected as a mHealth Scholar for the 2024 mHealth Training Institute (mHTI), which will be hosted this August at the University of California Los Angeles. Due to the intense and team-science nature of the training, the institute is limited to 30 scholars selected from the pool of applicants. As such, she was selected from a large pool of applications....

2024-03-25 - Walter Venerable III has achieved an impressive feat by winning the Award of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for Graduate Teaching Assistants at the department, college, and university levels. His innovative technique, dubbed "edutainment," has bridged the generational gap between students and teachers while revolutionizing the traditional classroom experience. Walter employs a unique...

2024-03-25 - We are happy to welcome Assistant Professor Dominik Mischkowski to the Department of Psychology faculty! Dr. Mischkowski is primarily affiliated with the Social-Personality area. Can you briefly share your academic and professional background that led you to the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign? I started graduate school as a PhD...

2024-02-29 - “I love being a part of my students’ journey.” The ten-year veteran of our Academic Advising office has been integral to many of the undergraduates who come through the Psychology Department. Her favorite aspect is “assisting them in their important academic, professional, and personal decisions.” On Wednesday, February 28th, Nikki Wynn was presented with the LAS Academic Professional Award at...

2024-02-09 - Dr. Eleanor Seaton has been honored with the prestigious title of Fellow by Division 7 (Developmental Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. Earning Fellow status within the APA is a testament to Dr. Seaton's significant impact on the field of psychology.  In response to her appointment, Dr. Seaton expressed her excitement, stating, "It is gratifying to have my research and...

2024-01-29 - We are thrilled to welcome Assistant Professor Hanyi Min to the Department of Psychology faculty as of Spring 2024! Dr. Min is primarily affiliated with the Industrial-Organizational area as well as the School of Labor and Employment Relations. Can you briefly share your academic and professional background that led you to the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at...

2024-01-29 - Assistant Professor Benedek Kurdi will be receiving two awards at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Annual Convention in San Diego, CA, in February 2024. The first award is the SAGE Early Career Trajectory Award, which SPSP confers to honor “outstanding achievements by early career scholars in social and personality psychology, including contributions to teaching, research...

2024-01-29 - Social Psychology PhD student Erica Nack has received a grant from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues to assess the impact of different holiday decorations on perceptions of inclusion and level of care by new patients of various religious backgrounds. Receiving the grant will allow Erica to recruit a religiously diverse group of participants. What do you hope will...

2024-01-29 - Social Psychology PhD student Mazyar Bagherian has received an APA Division 36 Social Justice Task Force Research Grant, to support research conducted by underrepresented students and early career psychologists to support research on underrepresented populations within the psychology of religion area. His proposal titled "The Impact of Non-Religious Demographic Shifts on Attitudes Toward...

2024-01-26 - The Advanced Research Opportunity Honors Scholarship is intended to enable research opportunities for students who face financial and time constraints that otherwise might prevent them from participating in the in-depth research process associated with completing a Bachelor’s thesis. This scholarship provides financial support over three semesters of undergraduate research toward completing a...

2024-01-17 - In a noteworthy development for the field of psychological science, The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has elected Alejandro Lleras as the United States Delegate to the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS). This prestigious appointment reflects not only Lleras's outstanding contributions to the field but also highlights the United States' commitment to...

2024-01-09 - We are honored to welcome Professor Eleanor Seaton to the Department of Psychology faculty starting in Spring 2024! Dr. Seaton will be primarily affiliated with the Developmental area.  Can you briefly share your academic and professional background that led you to the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign? I am originally from the...