Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at UMass Amherst
Upcoming Events
-
May26
-
May31
Student Spotlight
Mackenzie Smith receives 2021 Rising Researcher Award
Mackenzie Smith, of Westfield, New Jersey, has long been fascinated by how people make decisions and so she chose to major in both psychology and political science at UMass Amherst. “The two fields go hand-in-hand,” she says. “Politics is all about people and how they interact and why—it’s very psychological. I think everyone in politics would benefit from psychology courses.”
At UMass, Smith found a research group that combined her interests: The War and Peace Lab, housed in the Psychology of Peace and Violence Program in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Lab Director and Associate Professor Bernhard Leidner advised her on her thesis, for which she received a Commonwealth Honors College grant.

Department News
-
Psychology graduates honored as 21st Century Leaders
The University of Massachusetts Amherst honored the exemplary achievements, initiative, and leadership of some of its most talented and accomplished graduating seniors during Undergraduate Commencement on Friday, May 13. Our psychology 21st Century Leaders are Elodie Carel and Jacqueline Victoria Grundfast. -
Spotlight Scholar: Rebecca Spencer
Does “sleeping on it” help us make better decisions? Are sleep disorders just a natural part of aging? How important are naps, anyhow? Rebecca Spencer, Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and director of the UMass Amherst Sleep Monitoring Lab is finding answers to these questions. -
Dasgupta tapped to help diversify the tech industry
Dasgupta is in a new working group drawn from academia, the tech sector, think tanks and policy, called Catalyze Tech, that has spent the last year crafting a research-driven approach to increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts tailored for the technology community.

PBS Newsletter
Catch up with the latest news including spotlights on our talented students, faculty, and alumni!
Alumni News
-
Maheen Chaudhry '12
Clinical Pharmacist and Preceptor at Cooley Dickinson Hospital -
Kevin McGrath '13
Product Designer at 2U -
Christine Brydges '11, MS
UX Researcher at Noom
Explore Our Department
Award-winning teaching, research opportunities, and interdisciplinary programs in a diverse, inclusive community of excellence.