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.”
2026 UCLA Psychology Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
Congratulations to the nearly 1,700 students who will participate in the Psychology Undergraduate Commencement Celebration this year! The livestream will begin at 8:00am on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
Prof. Lieder Receives 2026 Undergraduate Research Week Faculty Mentor Award
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Falk Lieder for receiving a 2026 Undergraduate Research Week Faculty Mentor Award. This award honors the considerable dedication of UCLA faculty who consistently and enthusiastically serve as effective mentors to undergraduate students involved in research or creative inquiry.
Prof. Ng Receives 2026 Life Sciences Excellence Award in Inclusive Excellence
Congratulations to Associate Professor Lauren Ng for receiving a 2026 Life Sciences Excellence Award in the category of Inclusive Excellence. Lauren will be honored at the Life Sciences Excellence Awards Celebration on June 4.
Prof. Ng Receives 2025-2026 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
Congratulations to Associate Professor Lauren Ng for receiving a 2025-2026 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award for Senate Faculty from the Academic Senate. This award honors Senate faculty who, over their career, have excelled across teaching, service, and scholarship that fosters diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
UCLA Psychology Presents The Opportunity of Adolescence
Dr. Bjork Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Congratulations to Professor Emerita Elizabeth Bjork for being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Founded in 1780, the Academy recognizes exceptional leaders across the sciences, humanities, arts, business, and public affairs. Election to the Academy is a significant honor, reflecting Elizabeth’s outstanding contributions to scholarship and the broader intellectual community.
Psychology Staff Spotlight Award – Sara Truong
Highlighting Faculty Member Matthew Lieberman
We navigate our lives with the unshakable conviction that we see the world exactly as it is—an “open window” to reality. Yet, this feeling is a powerful illusion; we are actually viewing the world through idiosyncratic lenses that combine with input from the world to construct our reality while hiding the construction process from us. This misunderstanding is the hidden root of social conflict and our deepening crisis of loneliness.
Congratulations to Gold Medalist Alysa Liu!
Congratulations to Alysa Liu for winning the gold medal in women’s figure skating at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. She finished the games with two gold medals: her individual medal and one from the team competition. More information is available at the UCLA Newsroom.
Prof. Feng Receives AERA Outstanding Dissertation Award
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Yi Feng for receiving the Outstanding Dissertation Award from Division D of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). This annual award recognizes a dissertation that makes an outstanding contribution to methodology in educational research.
Prof. Clewett Named a 2026 Sloan Research Fellow
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Dave Clewett for being named a 2026 Sloan Research Fellow in Neuroscience by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Awarded annually since 1955, the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowships honor exceptional researchers at US and Canadian educational institutions, whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of leaders. More information is available at the UC Newsroom.