Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
Sarah Turner grew up in a small town in rural Georgia; she lived with her mother and sister at her mom's gas station. Being a first-generation college student, the chance to major in psychology and history at a school like Duke seemed like a far-fetched dream. However, Sarah's sister inspired her sister to pursue what was passionate about, and to do more than she thought she was capable of doing. Now she is following her dreams to law school after spending four of the best years of her life at Duke studying what makes her… read more about P&N Person of the Week: Sarah Turner »
In July of 2000, a fifteen year old Molly Weeks (then Molly Stroud) stepped off a plane in North Carolina. Dressed in a sweatshirt, she quickly realized she wasn't in Northern Alberta anymore. She left behind figure skating, synchronized swimming, cross-country skiing, and curling to call this new, humid land her home. In addition to adjusting to the dramatic differences in climate, Molly had to acclimate to a new school environment, one with much more emphasis on college education than she was used to. Molly also had to… read more about P&N Person of the Week: Molly Weeks »
Congratulations to Duke Psychology & Neuroscience PhD student Aaron Reuben who has been selected as the 2018 winner of the Richard Merritt Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence in Science Journalism for his piece “States May Be Intentionally Poisoning Each Other With Toxic Air.” This award annually recognizes a Duke graduate or undergraduate student for the best piece of science journalism produced during the previous calendar year. At Duke, Reuben is training to become a clinical neuropsychologist and public health… read more about Aaron Reuben wins 2018 Merritt Award for Science Journalism »
Throughout her lifetime, Dr. Sarah Gaither has lived in numerous areas of the United States, from California to Massachusetts to Illinois to North Carolina. No matter where she is, Dr. Gaither carries a sense of adventure; she says she is always open to trying new things. Except for skydiving. Never skydiving. And never anything with clowns. She says that they are not to be trusted, with their fake smiles painted on their faces, convincing everyone they're happy when they aren't. How many years of service do you… read more about P&N Person of the Week: Sarah Gaither »
Congratulations to five P&N Ph.D. students who matched to top clinical internships. Once again, P&N had a 100% match in clinical psychology internships. Best wishes to the following students as they prepare to move forward to the final stage of doctoral training in clinical psychology: Nandini Datta Children's Hospital Stanford/Children's Health Palo Alto, CA Psychology InternshipAli Giusto Columbia University Medical Center New York, NY Child TrackAdrienne Romer … read more about Clinical Psychology Internships 2018-2019 »
Timothy Strauman and Angela Vieth from Duke’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (P&N) have just published two companion volumes outlining a new treatment for depression called self-system therapy or SST. Along with colleagues Kari Eddington (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and Gregory Kolden (University of Wisconsin), their newly available therapist and client guides provide the essentials for therapists to learn how to deliver the treatment effectively and for clients to get the maximum… read more about A New Treatment for Depression: Strauman and Vieth Publish Therapist/Client Guides for Self-System Therapy »
Dr. Ahmad Hariri has advice for students: do not follow the script. Pursue your passions, and see where that takes you. Dr. Hariri's career shows that following the script, or checking off all of the right boxes is not the only path to success. Hariri's love of biology started in childhood; he was always fascinated by nature. This fascination, along with familial and cultural expectations, influenced his interest in pursuing a career in science. Initially, Dr. Hariri was convinced that he would pursue medicine; as a first-… read more about P&N Person of the Week: Ahmad Hariri »
Karen (KC) Young, a Duke senior from Wisconsin, harbors a strong sense of Midwest pride. She has three younger brothers. Her mother is a pediatrician, which Karen says may have influenced her decision to pursue a career in medicine. She recalls spending much of her time around children, and her fascination with them has led to working in the Wilbourn Infant Development Lab. In her free time, Karen likes to run (fun fact: she ran a full marathon the weekend before finals!) KC is a member of ADPi, Psi Chi, and Phi Beta Kappa… read more about P&N Person of the Week: Karen Young »
A boy is born in a hospital in the former Soviet Republic of Armenia in the early 1990s. His birth comes in the middle of the Soviet Union's collapse. The hospital he is born in has no running water, heat, or electricity. Shortly thereafter, the boy and his parents flee to the United States, desperate for a fresh start. The boy grew up cognizant of being an immigrant and the baggage that comes with that identity. He also harbored an appreciation for the opportunities living in America provided, opportunities others surely… read more about P&N Person of the Week: Andrei Amatuni »
P&N Professors Terri Moffitt and Avshalom Caspi are profiled in Science Magazine's article about the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. Douglas Starr writes that "for nearly 30 years, Moffitt and Caspi have been collaborating on one of the more comprehensive and probing investigations of human development ever conducted." Read the article in Science Magazine: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/02/two-psychologists-followed-1000-new-zealanders-decades-here-s-what-they-found-about… read more about Caspi and Moffitt in Science Magazine »
We now are accepting applications for the 2018-2019 Costanzo Teaching Fellowships. The Costanzo Fellowship is a unique opportunity for undergraduates to receive substantial training in teaching as part of the teaching team for Introductory Psychology (PSY 101). Teaching Fellows are paid and are required to enroll in a 1-credit Psychology Teaching Seminar (that counts toward the Psychology major) during the fall term.Learn more about PSY 101 and the Costanzo Fellowship (including FAQs) here. Complete the online application… read more about 2018-2019 Costanzo Teaching Fellowships »
P&N graduate student Nadia Brashier wins two big awards for her dissertation---one from the American Psychological Foundation/Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology and one from the American Psychological Association: www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2017/11/students-awarded.aspx www.apa.org/science/…/psa/2018/01/dissertation-research.aspx Brashier's dissertation is titled Heuristics for Truth Across the Lifespan: Amid concerns about "alternative facts" and "fake news," it can be overwhelming to decide… read more about Nadia Brashier Wins Two Awards for Dissertation »
P&N's Ahmad Hariri talks about the teen brain and decision making on NPR's the 1A. In the episode he discusses how changes in the adolescent brain can lead to violence. Check it out here: https://the1a.org/audio/#/shows/2018-01-11/a-new-show-goes-inside-teenagers-brains/113223/@00:00 … Dr. Hariri is Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University, where he is also the Director of the Laboratory of NeuroGenetics. Throughout his career Dr. Hariri has sought to systematically integrate available and… read more about Hariri Talks about the Teen Brain »
The Duke Department of Psychology & Neuroscience congratulates Dr. Elizabeth Marsh, who has been named a recipient of the 2018 Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring from Duke's Graduate School. She will be honored, along with other recipients, at a ceremony on Wednesday, March 28, at Sarah P. Duke Gardens. The Graduate School presents the Dean’s Awards for Excellence in Mentoring to recognize the considerable efforts and accomplishments of faculty and graduate students who consistently serve as effective mentors.… read more about Marsh receives 2018 Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring »
Duke Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience Jennifer Groh and a team of researchers have found that simply moving the eyes triggers the eardrums to move too. In a paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers found that keeping the head still but shifting the eyes to one side or the other sparks vibrations in the eardrums, even in the absence of any sounds. "This was really a team effort, instigated by a very determined Kurtis Gruters who received his PhD for this work, and… read more about The Eardrums Move When the Eyes Move »
We are pleased to announce that Camila Vargas Restrepo has won the 2017-2018 Jerome S. Bruner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. Camila will be completing her Visual Media Studies/Psychology Interdepartmental Major in May. She plans to work for a year before beginning graduate work to study the cognitive processes behind data visualization. Camila arrived at Duke with interests in psychology, neuroscience, art, and graphic design, and has been able to design a program of study that draws from all of these… read more about Camila Vargas Restrepo receives 2017-2018 Jerome S. Bruner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research »
A new study by lead author Elika Bergelson is being reported in a number of media outlets, including The Atlantic; Reuters; The Guardian; International Business Times; Science News; and Duke Today. Bergelson's lab used eye tracking data to show that babies understand that the meanings of some groups of words, such as "juice and milk," are more alike than other groups, such as "juice and car." The research paper combines two approaches: measuring what infants know in the lab with eyetracking, and measuring… read more about Babies Understand When Words are Related »
We are happy to announce that Tobias Overath will be joining the Duke Department of Psychology & Neuroscience as an Assistant Professor in summer 2018. Dr. Overath will be part of the Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience graduate training program. Dr. Overath studied musicology and psychology at Humboldt University Berlin and neuroscience at Oxford University, before receiving his PhD from University College London in 2009. Following postdoctoral work at NYU, UCL, and Bonn University, he joined Duke as an Assistant… read more about Welcome Tobias Overath »
We are pleased to share the good news that Jenna McHenry will be joining us in Fall 2018 as an Assistant Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience. Dr. McHenry will be part of the Systems and Integrative Neuroscience (SINS) graduate training program. Dr. McHenry, who received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Florida State University in 2013, is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Psychiatry and School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research examines the functional… read more about P&N Welcomes Jenna McHenry »
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. The Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University invites applications for a Lecturer position to begin July 2018. This full-time regular-rank (non-tenure-track) position has a fixed-term appointment and is renewable. The position will have a primary focus on undergraduate instruction. The ideal candidate will already have a Ph.D. in Psychology and at least five years of experience teaching Psychology courses as the instructor of… read more about Lecturer position with emphasis on undergraduate instruction, Duke University Department of Psychology & Neuroscience »
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. The Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University, http://psychandneuro.duke.edu/, invites applications for a Lecturer position to begin July 2018. This full-time regular-rank (non-tenure-track) position has a fixed-term appointment and is renewable. The position will have a primary focus on undergraduate instruction, with an emphasis on Neuroscience. The ideal candidate will already have a Ph.D. in Neuroscience or Neurobiology and… read more about Neuroscience-focused Lecturer position, Duke University Department of Psychology & Neuroscience »
P&N Assistant Professor Gregory Samanez-Larkin is featured in Duke's New Faculty 2017 Series: https://today.duke.edu/2017/10/gregory-samanez-larkin-how-aging-brain-tackles-tough-choices Samanez-Larkin explores how the brain's decision-making machinery changes as we age, specifically how individual and age differences in motivation and cognition influence decision making across the life span. His research is at the intersection of a number of subfields within psychology, neuroscience, and economics… read more about Gregory Samanez-Larkin featured in Duke's New Faculty 2017 Series »
Dr. Sarah Gaither was recently featured in a Duke Magazine story, "Who Do you Think you See?" Gaither, an assistant professor in Duke's Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and principal investigator of the Duke Identity and Diversity Lab, writes: "I feel that if I do not reveal my true racial identity, I would be doing a disservice to others like me who may not feel as confident in revealing that secret self. My identity is not in fact a secret. I am now a professor studying this identity for a living. I… read more about Sarah Gaither featured in Duke Magazine »
The Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University invites applications for an Assistant or Associate (tenure-track) Professor position in Clinical Neuroscience. We seek candidates who use the experimental methods of human neuroscience to study mechanisms of psychopathology or intervention in clinical and/or healthy populations. The specific focus of candidates’ research interests within clinical neuroscience is unrestricted. Preference… read more about Assistant or Associate Professor (tenure-track) position in Clinical Neuroscience »
The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, https://psychandneuro.duke.edu, invites applications for an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) position in Social Psychology or Cognitive Psychology to begin Fall 2018. We seek outstanding applicants with the potential to develop a nationally-recognized and externally-funded research program in Cognitive Psychology or Social Psychology. The specific research area is open, but our preference is for a candidate whose primary interest is… read more about Assistant Professor (tenure-track) position in Social Psychology or Cognitive Psychology »
Join us for P&N's 2017-2018 Colloquium series! Sept. 29th Kevin LaBar Oct. 27th Ahmad Hariri Dec. 8th Nancy Zucker Jan. 26th Steve Asher Feb. 23rd Makeba Parramore Wilbourn March 30th Jim Shah April 27th Tina Williams All talks are proceeded by a reception from 2:30 – 3:00 in 319 soc-psych; talks are from 3:00 – 4:00 pm in Zener (soc-psych 130) All talks are posted on our events page and the Duke events calendar website Subscribing to Departmetnal Events There are two ways to subscribe to departmental events: 1.… read more about Duke Psychology & Neuroscience Colloquium Series 2017-2018 »
P&N's Michael Tomasello gave a lecture on his work Sept. 7 in Griffith Theater, where nearly 400 people gathered in honor of his election to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. National academy membership is regarded as the highest recognition for a scientist. Read about his lecture, "In Search of Human Uniqueness," in Duke Today: https://today.duke.edu/2017/09/even-preschoolers-play-fair-chimps-not-so-much Dr. Tomasello, who did his undergraduate work at Duke, is a world-renowned scholar on social… read more about Michael Tomasello Shares Work in Celebration of Election to National Academy of Sciences »
Congratulations to P&N's Kathy Sikkema, who has been named the Gosnell Family Professor of Global Health. This endowed professorship recognizes Dr. Sikkema's many accomplishments in global health as a scholar, an intellectual leader, and a mentor to many junior faculty members and students. Kathy’s pioneering research has shown how mental health treatment plays a critical role in the success of community-based HIV interventions; this work not only changes communities, but builds deep links between psychological theory… read more about Kathy Sikkema Appointed Gosnell Family Professor in Global Health »
Thanks to Duke Library Staff, a number of dissertations and theses from Duke's Department of Psychology & Neuroscience (P&N) are available in electronic format for the first time. It all started when P&N staff were cleaning out offices in Duke's social-psychology building, home to the department of Psychology & Neuroscience. They found boxes of old, musty dissertations, some of which had been in storage for many years. These boxes made their way to Jeff Kosokoff, Head of Collection Strategy and Development… read more about Duke Psychology & Neuroscience Dissertation Digitization Project »
“In Search of Human Uniqueness” Special Lecture – Open to All Thursday, September 7, 2017 4:00-5:00 p.m. Lecture: Griffith Film Theater, Bryan Center Reception: The Landing, Bryan CenterPlease RSVP at http://bit.ly/2q680SW P&N's Michael Tomasello has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. National academy membership is regarded as the highest recognition for a scientist. Dr. Tomasello, who did his undergraduate work at Duke, is a world-renowned scholar on… read more about National Academy Member Michael Tomasello Lecture - September 7, 2017 »