Graduate News & Events

Congratulations to the following graduate students for receiving a 2026–2027 Dissertation Year Award (DYA) from the Division of Graduate Education

Congratulations to our graduate students who received honorable mention accolades for the 2026 NSF GRFP

Congratulations to our 2026 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Recipients.

Congratulations to Ashley Chen for being selected as a member of the 2026 cohort of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society through UCLA’s chapter.

Ashley Chen (Cognitive Area) was selected as a member of the 2026 cohort of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society through UCLA’s chapter. Named for the first self-identified African American to earn a doctorate from an American university, the society seeks to develop a network of preeminent scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster environments of support, and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students in the academy.

Congratulations to Manuel Ramirez for receiving the HIV and Sexual Health Special Interest Group Outstanding Student Paper Award

Manuel Ramirez (Health Area) received the HIV and Sexual Health Special Interest Group Outstanding Student Paper Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) for his paper titled “Does activism buffer against the negative effects of discrimination on distress and alcohol use?,” which he will present at the upcoming SBM Annual Meeting.

Congratulations to Enya Daang for receiving a Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine (SBSM) Scholar Award

Enya Daang (Health Area) received a Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine (SBSM) Scholar Award to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting in Chicago. These awards are given to the top student/trainee abstract submissions in different areas of psychosomatic medicine.

Congratulations to Manuel Ramirez for receiving a Meritorious Abstract Award

Manuel Ramirez (Health Area) received a Meritorious Abstract Award for his upcoming talk titled “Does activism buffer against the negative effects of discrimination on distress and alcohol use among LGBT persons of color?” at the Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting.

Congratulations to Manuel Ramirez for being accepted to the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine Inclusivity for Impact, Equity, and Engagement (I2EyE) Scholar Cohort Program

Manuel Ramirez (Health Area) was accepted to the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine Inclusivity for Impact, Equity, and Engagement (I2EyE) Scholar Cohort Program.

Congratulations to Eric D. Cortez for receiving an LGBT Health Scholar Award from the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine

Eric D. Cortez (Health Area) received an LGBT Health Scholar Award from the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine for his poster titled “Intersectional Discrimination and Mental Health Among Sexual Minority Men of Color: Ethnic Identity as a Buffer.”

Congratulations to Karissa Tran for receiving a Scholar Award from the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine

Karissa Tran (Health Area) received a Scholar Award from the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine for her poster titled “HIV-related shame and alcohol use among men who have sex with men: The mediating role of posttraumatic stress symptoms related to being recently diagnosed with HIV.”

Congratulations to Haley Wang for being quoted in a New York Times article

Haley Wang (Clinical Area) was quoted in a New York Times article titled “How Bad Are A.I. Delusions? We Asked People Treating Them.” The article is available at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/chatgpt-delusions-psychosis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HVA.OTAL.5yUw4lKRQkTD&smid=url-share

Congratulations to Naomi Gancz for receiving a National Institute of Mental Health F31 fellowship grant titled

Naomi Gancz (Developmental Area) received a National Institute of Mental Health F31 fellowship grant titled “Oral Microbiome Dysregulation as a Contributor to Depressive Symptoms and Altered Brain Connectivity in a High-Risk Sample of Youth,” with Associate Professor Bridget Callaghan as sponsor.

Congratulations to Glen Spiteri (Cognitive Area) for being featured in a UCLA Newsroom article

Glen Spiteri (Cognitive Area) was featured in a UCLA Newsroom article titled “A connection forged by language.” The article is available at https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/connection-forged-by-language-maltese

Congratulations to Sydney Tran  for being awarded a Clara Mayo Grant from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues

Sydney Tran (Social Area) was awarded a Clara Mayo Grant from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues for her project titled “Asian Americans, their racial position, and their view of intergroup relations.” The grant program was set up to support masters’ theses or pre-dissertation research on aspects of sexism, racism, or prejudice.

Congratulations to Glen Spiteri for being awarded a Humane Studies Fellowship

Glen Spiteri (Cognitive Area) was awarded a Humane Studies Fellowship from the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University for his project titled “A computational theory of moral circle expansion and contraction.”

Erin Morrow (Cognitive Area) was quoted in a New York Times article

Erin Morrow (Cognitive Area) was quoted in a New York Times article titled “To Protest Budget Cuts, Young Scientists Try Letters to the Editor.” The article is available at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/science/science-budget-cuts-protest-letters.html?smid=url-share

Congratulations to Fran Querdasi (Developmental Area) for receiving the 2025 Millard Madsen Distinguished Dissertation Award for the best developmental dissertation

Congratulations to Fran Querdasi (Developmental Area) for receiving the 2025 Millard Madsen Distinguished Dissertation Award for the best developmental dissertation. Fran’s dissertation is titled “Early Caregiving Adversity and Internalizing Symptoms in Middle Childhood to Adolescence: Gut Microbiome and Inflammatory Mechanisms,” and her dissertation committee chair is Bridget Callaghan.

Congratulations to Kaitlin McManus (Clinical Area) for being selected by the Pritzker Committee for Excellence to receive the sixth annual Pritzker Graduate Scholar Award

Congratulations to Kaitlin McManus (Clinical Area) for being selected by the Pritzker Committee for Excellence to receive the sixth annual Pritzker Graduate Scholar Award. The Pritzker Graduate Scholar Award is intended to support graduate students in the Department of Psychology who demonstrate excellence in the conduct of psychological science with the potential for high public impact.

Congratulations to Shiba Esfand (Clinical Area) and Julia Fischer (incoming Quant Area) for being selected for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

Congratulations to Shiba Esfand (Clinical Area) and Julia Fischer (incoming Quant Area) for being selected for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Both Shiba and Julia previously received Honorable Mention accolades and were recently notified that they were selected for the NSF GRFP.

2025 UCLA Psychology Graduate Hooding Ceremony

Congratulations to the 18 participants who participated in the Psychology Graduate Hooding Ceremony! We wish our students much success in their futures!