Faculty & Staff

Faculty: Robin Akert, Angela Bahns, Craig Brinkman, Jonathan Cheek, Stephen Chen, Christen Deveney, Tracy Gleason, Kyra Kulik-Johnson, Margaret Keane, Yoolim Kim, Maureen Morgan, Julie Norem, Kristen Fay Poston, Jennie Pyers, Sally Theran, Lena Warnke, Jeremy Wilmer, Paul Wink

Faculty Emerita: Sheila Brachfeld-Child, Linda Carli, Nancy Genero, Beth Hennesey, Margery Lucas

Academic Administrator: Karen Blake

Research Coordinator: Sarah Kim

  • Professor of Psychology

    B.A., University of California (Santa Cruz); M.A., Ph.D., Princeton University

    Research in nonverbal communication:  the ability to decode nonverbal cues in social interaction; also interested in the psychological analysis of advertising.

    More about Robin M. Akert

  • Associate Professor of Psychology

    B.A., Pomona College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Kansas

    Social psychologist doing research on the dynamics of prejudice and friendship formation.

    More about Angela Bahns

  • Instructor in Psychology Laboratory

    B.A., SUNY Geneseo; M.S., Miami University; M.A., Ph.D., University at Buffalo

    Social psychologist with research interests that include romantic relationships, prejudice, and sport psychology.

    More about Craig Brinkman

  • Professor of Psychology

    B.A., George Washington University; M.A., University of Texas (Austin); Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

    Professor of Personality Psychology. Research interests include shyness, self-concept, and identity orientations. 

    More about Jonathan M. Cheek

  • Associate Professor of Psychology

    B.A., Rutgers University; Ph.D., University of California (Berkeley)

    Research explores how culture and family processes influence development and mental health across the lifespan.

    More about Stephen Chen

  • James W. and Patricia T. Poitras DS ’91 Associate Professor in the Natural Sciences; Associate Professor of Psychology

    B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University

    Research explores the behavioral and neural markers of psychiatric symptoms in both children and adults. 

     

    More about Christen Deveney

  • Professor of Psychology, Department Chair

    A.B., Dartmouth College; Ph.D., University of Minnesota

    Developmental psychologist studying relationships, real and imagined, with a focus on young children's imaginary companions.

    More about Tracy R. Gleason

  • Denise Kellen '68 Professor in the Health Sciences; Professor of Psychology

    A.B., Harvard College; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Interested in exploring the cognitive and neural bases of human memory capacities; teach courses in memory, cognition, and neuropsychology.

    More about Margaret Keane

  • Visiting Lecturer in Psychology

    B.A., Wellesley College; M.Phil., Ph.D., University of Oxford

    Research interests include the relationship between spoken and written language, the structure of the mental lexicon, orthographic processing and the acquisition of literacy and skilled reading, and structures of writing systems.

    More about Yoolim Kim

  • Senior Lecturer in Psychology

    B.A., Boston College; Ed.M., Harvard University Graduate School of Education; Ph.D., Boston College

    Personality psychologist interested in family systems theory and sports psychology

    More about Kyra Kulik-Johnson

  • Faculty Director of the Wellesley College Child Study Center; Lecturer in Psychology and Education

    B.S. Ed Lesley College, Ed.M Harvard Graduate School of Education, Post Masters in Early Education Research, Policy and Practice, University of MA, Boston

    Specialist in Early Education and Special Education

    More about Maureen Morgan

  • Margaret Hamm Professor of Psychology

    A.B., University of Chicago; Ph.D., University of Michigan

    Teaches personality psychology and optimism & pessimism. Researches strategies people use to pursue goals and how self-knowledge influences adaptation, performance, & social relationships.

    More about Julie K. Norem

  • Lecturer in Psychology

    B.A., Wellesley College ; M.A., Ph.D., Tufts University

    An applied developmental psychologist whose teaching and research emphasize the application of developmental theory to optimize positive and healthy developmental outcomes across diverse populations.

    More about Kristen Poston

  • Professor of Psychology

    B.A., Smith College; Ph.D., University of California (Berkeley)

    Research interests include the relationship between language and cognition, bilingualism, the psycholinguistics of sign languages, and the role of iconicity in language.

    More about Jennie E. Pyers

  • Professor of Psychology

    B.A., Bates College; M.A., Ph.D., Michigan State University

    Licensed clinical psychologist investigating risk and resilience factors that protect against developmental psychopathology in childhood and adolescence.

    More about Sally A. Theran

  • Visiting Lecturer in Psychology

    B.A., New York University; M.S., Tufts University, Ph.D., Tufts University

    Cognitive Scientist and Linguist interested in pragmatics, the cognitive basis of communication, turn-taking in conversation and predictive language comprehension.

    More about Lena Warnke

  • Associate Professor of Psychology

    B.A., Williams College; Ph.D., Harvard University

    My research probes the individual human mind and establishes and disseminates best-practices in visual data communication. 

    More about Jeremy B. Wilmer

  • Nellie Zuckerman Cohen & Anne Cohen Heller Professor in Health Sciences; Professor of Psychology

    B.A., M.A., University of Melbourne; Ph.D., University of California (Berkeley)

    Research interests include adult development; positive psychology; religion and spirituality; altruism; narcissism; wisdom; cross-cultural conceptions of the self.

    More about Paul M. Wink

Faculty Emeriti

  • Senior Lecturer Emerita in Psychology

    B.A., Tufts University; M.A., Boston University; Ph.D., Brandeis University

    Interested in peer interactions in adolescence with a focus on social aggression, especially the representation of social aggression on television and in the movies. Teaches Adolescence and Introduction to Psychology. Has been Director of Medical Professions Advising since 1998.

    More about Sheila P. Brachfeld-Child

  • Senior Lecturer Emerita in Psychology

    B.A., University of Connecticut; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts (Amherst)

    Interests include women leaders, social influence, gender differences in interaction and influence, and reactions to victimization.

    More about Linda Carli

  • Associate Professor Emerita of Psychology

    A.B., Cornell University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

    Interests include applied social psychology, community evaluation research, and basic and advanced statistics.

    More about Nancy P. Genero

  • Professor Emerita of Psychology

    A.B., Brown University; M.Ed., Lesley College; Ph.D., Brandeis University

    Former elementary school teacher, now researcher focused on motivation and creativity across cultures.

    More about Beth Ann Hennessey

  • Professor Emerita of Psychology and Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences

    B.S., Pennsylvania State University; M.S., Ph.D., University of Rochester

    My research focuses on economic decision-making from an evolutionary perspective.

    More about Margery Lucas