The Father Effect
Shauna Cooper has spent over a decade studying Black fathers and their roles in child development.
psychology
Brain-Body Breakthroughs
Psychoneuroimmunology. It's a mouthful, but it’s also a burgeoning field addressing how psychological stress impacts the brain and the body. Keely Muscatell is one of just a few scholars conducting research within this realm and is working closely with two PhD students to uncover the short- and long-term effects of one particularly ugly social experience: racial discrimination.
We Just Clicked
Friends are essential to our happiness and health. Because they’re such a large part of our lives, Tatum Jolink wants to know how these lasting bonds begin. What occurs during our initial interactions with others that lays the foundation for long-lasting friendship — or even love?
The Time Tracker
The pace of life varies often. Sometimes it drags, others it races. But if time always moves at the same rate, why does it feel different? That’s a question UNC-Chapel Hill philosopher Carla Merino-Rajme strives to answer.
Taking On Discrimination
Julian Rucker wants to motivate people to address the stark racial disparities that have characterized the history of the United States. As a UNC-Chapel Hill postdoctoral researcher, he uses social psychology to unpack why structural racism exists, how people perceive it, and why we must change policies to eliminate it from our society.
It Runs in the Family
What do you get when a research psychologist marries a clinical psychologist? Two Carolina chemists. UNC-Chapel Hill psychologists Eric and Jen Youngstrom both joined the faculty in 2006. Through their research and global travels, their daughters Diane and Kay have developed a love of science, immense school spirit, and a deep desire to help the world.
Julian Rucker
Julian Rucker is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences and a fellow in the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity. He studies beliefs about structural racism, perceptions of societal racial inequality, and motivations to rectify racial disparities.
Margarett McBride
Margarett McBride is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on how neighborhood contexts shape parenting and youth well-being in Black families.
Machine Morality
As machines become more autonomous, humans must define the limits of their decision-making. UNC postdoctoral researcher Yochanan Bigman addresses this topic, suggesting where to draw the line when self-governing technology is required to make life-or-death decisions.
Marketa Burnett
Senior Marketa Burnett is an undergraduate researcher double-majoring in psychology and African, African American, and diaspora studies within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. She is also a McNair Scholar and serves on the Campus Health Advisory Board. Her research focuses on the concept of inferiority amongst African-American youth and its effects on educational outcomes.