Psychological and Brain Sciences - UMASS Amherst

11/18/2025

Our new student-designed PBS Merch is now available for purchase online, with all proceeds benefitting our undergraduate Psych and Neuro clubs! In case you haven't heard, UMass now offers a neuroscience major 🧠

T-shirts $15
Sweatshirts $30

Refresh your wardrobe, stock up for holiday shopping, and support UMass psych and neuro students!

Order by 11/30:
https://umassamherstpsychology.itemorder.com/shop/home/

10/30/2025

Meet our new faculty!
https://www.umass.edu/psychological-brain-sciences/news/pbs-welcomes-new-faculty

Lauren Aulet, Assistant Professor
Cognitive scientist Lauren Aulet has always been fascinated by how we see and understand the world — a curiosity sparked in childhood by a book of optical illusions.

Kelsey Canada, Assistant Professor
Canada's research involves the characterization of individual differences in brain and memory development.

Daniel Coppersmith, Assistant Professor
Coppersmith's current area of research is the understanding, prediction, and prevention of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Elsbeth Neil, Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology
Neil is looking forward to advancing the goals of the Rudd program which extend beyond primary research, encompassing engagement and impact activities.

Jeremy Spool, Neuroscience Lecturer
Spool's research is broadly about animal decision-making. His work in birds, with Dr. Luke Remage-Healey, has focused on how the brain extracts social meaning from voices.

10/22/2025

New Faculty Position Posted! Psychology of Peace and Violence Program, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
University of Massachusetts Amherst

The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is inviting applications for an Assistant Professor position in its Psychology of Peace and Violence Program to begin in Fall 2026. Applications are submitted online.

For more information on the position including minimum qualifications and application instructions, please visit: https://careers.umass.edu/en-us/job/528614/assistant-
professor-psychology-of-peace-violence-program

The University of Massachusetts Amherst welcomes all qualified applicants and complies with all state and federal anti-discrimination laws.

Assistant Professor - Psychology of Peace & Violence Program Apply now Job no: 528614 Work type: Faculty Full Time Location: UMass Amherst Department: Psychology and Brain Sci Union: MSP Categories: Faculty, College of Natural Sciences, Tenure Track About UMass Amherst The flagship of the Commonweal...

10/14/2025

Why do people on the other side of the political spectrum often seem not just misinformed—but morally wrong? Why do even good-faith attempts at cross-partisan conversation so often stall or turn hostile?

These questions are not new—but in an era of social media outrage, partisan media bubbles, and eroding trust in institutions, they feel more urgent than ever. Fortunately, there is a growing body of research that helps us move beyond frustration and toward a deeper understanding of what drives our political differences—and how we might begin to bridge them.

One of the most compelling contributions to this conversation comes from Dr. Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, Professor Emerita at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a leading scholar in the field of moral psychology. In her latest book, “The Two Moralities: Conservatives, Liberals, and the Roots of Our Political Divide,” she outlines a powerful new framework that helps explain why liberals and conservatives so often talk past each other—and why each side believes it holds the moral high ground.

Why do people on the other side of the political spectrum often seem not just misinformed—but morally wrong? Why do even good-faith attempts at cross-partisan conversation so often stall or turn hostile?These questions are not new—but in an era of social media outrage, partisan media bubbles, an...

10/08/2025

Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta, provost professor of psychology in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, will present the 2025 Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) Plenary Lecture, “Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns to Build More Just Communities,” on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.

The CHC Plenary Lecture, which is connected to the Honors course “Ideas that Change the World,” is an annual event that features thought leaders from across the spectrum of UMass Amherst faculty.

Dasgupta's talk, co-sponsored by Phi Kappa Phi, will draw from her 2025 book “Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns to Build More Just Communities,” published by Yale Press, which offers a science-driven approach to achieving social change. In the book she argues that small changes to the “wallpaper,” the local cultures around us, are far more effective in producing structural change locally than seeking change through bias awareness training, symbolic acts or relying solely on good intentions.

Dasgupta, provost professor of psychology in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, will present the 2025 Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) Plenary Lecture, “Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns to Build More Just Communities,” at 5 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom...

09/16/2025

Welcome to our first ever class of incoming Neuroscience majors! Here are some of our new majors gathered at the CNS Come Home to Your College Event, pictured with Senior Neuroscience Lecturer Dr. Lori Astheimer (center).
Learn more about the new Neuroscience major here: https://www.umass.edu/psychological-brain-sciences/undergraduate/undergraduate-requirements/bachelor-science-neuroscience

Have a great fall semester everyone!

09/10/2025

Congratulations to Neve Modlin (’27), our first ever UMass Neuroscience Major!

When we shared the exciting news of the new Neuroscience Major with students last spring, they were invited to enter a raffle for the chance to become the first UMass Neuroscience major. Of the 200+ students who entered, Neve Modlin was randomly selected as our winner! Neve is a junior Neuroscience major who has been involved in our program as a Research Assistant in Dr. Alexandra Jesse’s LIPS lab, a peer advisor, and a teaching assistant for Psych 330: Introduction to Neuroscience. After graduation she hopes to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant.

Learn more about the Neuroscience major through our linktrre in bio

09/02/2025

Human emotions and behaviors from the past leave no physical trace, but cultural artifacts—paintings, novels, music, and other art—offer valuable clues.

Science News Magazine recently published an article focused on research into “cognitive fossils,” and asked Mohammad Atari—assistant professor at Psychological and Brain Sciences - UMASS Amherst and co-author of a new study on the topic published in “Nature Human Behaviour”—to weigh in on the emerging field.

Learn more: https://umass.science/4ota2ZX

Nature

07/28/2025

Maureen Perry-Jenkins, psychological and brain sciences, is cited in a story about the growing popularity of infant night nurse jobs. The piece notes that Perry-Jenkins explains that the role – known as doulas, night nannies, newborn care specialists or night nurses and now popular thanks to social media – have existed for centuries across cultures.

Parents are opting for night nurses more than ever. Who are they?

07/18/2025

Linda Tropp argues that "making eye contact and small talk with strangers is more than just being polite." These actions likely provide social benefits associated with what she calls "psychological generosity."

In a recent article published in The Conversation US, social psychologist Linda Tropp—a professor at Psychological and Brain Sciences - UMASS Amherst and a faculty associate in the School of Public Policy at UMass Amherst—argues that "making eye contact and small talk with strangers is more than just being polite." These actions likely provide social benefits associated with what she calls "psychological generosity."

“As I encourage my students to do, people can choose to engage in what I refer to as psychological generosity,” argues Tropp. “You can intentionally redirect some of your attention toward the other people around you and expend mental resources beyond what is absolutely necessary to navigate the social world."

Learn more: https://umass.science/44P4fFb

07/15/2025

Ashley Woodman, senior lecturer II and director of the Developmental Disabilities and Human Services program, is the recipient of the 2025 Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Congratulations!
Woodman has been described by students as a “transformative” educator who has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to creating equitable learning environments for all students, with particular attention to those with disabilities.

The award, which features a $10,000 stipend, honors one outstanding faculty member from each of the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts and is open to all full-time faculty.

07/11/2025

Carolyn Davies, lecturer in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, has published a new open educational resource, Adult Psychopathology, with support from the UMass Amherst Libraries’ Open Education Initiative.

Carolyn Davies, lecturer in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the College of Natural Sciences, has published a new open educational resource, Adult Psychopathology, with support from the UMass Amherst Libraries’ Open Education Initiative.