UGA Psychology Department

09/04/2026

Congratulations to UGA Psychology alumna Muriel Clauson Closs, Ph.D., on being named the inaugural executive director of the American Psychological Association’s new Center for Behavioral Science and AI!

In her new role, Closs will help bring behavioral science into conversations about how AI is developed and used.

Read more about her new role and the center’s work here: https://psyc.franklin.uga.edu/news/stories/2026/uga-psychology-alumna-muriel-clauson-closs-named-executive-director-new-apa

08/31/2026

Congratulations to recent Psychology Ph.D. graduate Dr. Ben Listyg! His dissertation, “Built to Spill: An Empirical Examination of Executive Functioning and Work-Family Spillover,” examines how executive functioning, the cognitive processes that regulate goal-directed behavior, relates to work-family spillover, the transfer of moods, skills, and stressors between work and home life.
Using longitudinal data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, Ben tested whether executive functioning predicts positive and negative spillover in both directions, and whether social support from supervisors, coworkers, and spouses moderates those relationships.
Ben completed his dissertation under the mentorship of Dr. Malissa Clark and is now a Data Science Program Manager, Natural Language Processing, at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.

08/28/2026

Exciting news! The Health and Wellness in Italy study abroad program has officially been approved to offer two sessions in 2027!
The priority application deadline is September 15th, so be sure to apply soon for priority consideration!

08/27/2026

Congratulations to UGA Psychology graduate student Yaw Buabeng, whose research was recently featured by UGA Research!

Yaw is the lead author of a new study examining how blue light affects the eye’s ability to distinguish fine details.

Read more about Yaw and his research below.

Blue light—short wavelengths of visible light emitted by smartphones, computers, and TVs—impairs the eye’s ability to distinguish fine detail more than any other wavelength, according to a new study from the University of Georgia. This finding could help inform future lighting technologies, di...

08/21/2026

Congratulations to the 12th graduating cohort of the UGA Professional Master’s Program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, better known as the IOMP!
On August 8th, we celebrated our newest IOMP graduates and the culmination of two years of hard work in the program.
We are proud to welcome this group into our growing community of IOMP alumni and look forward to seeing where they take their I-O psychology expertise next.
Congratulations, Class of 2026! Go Dawgs!

08/19/2026

Meet Our Recent Graduate: Dr. Molly Hale

Dr. Hale's dissertation, "The Impact of Sociocultural Risk and Protective Factors on Trajectories of Adolescent Internalizing Symptoms Using the ABCD Study," completed under the direction of Dr. Cynthia Suveg, examined how sociocultural risk and protective factors influence internalizing symptoms across adolescence. She is now an NIH T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Adherence and Self-Management Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Congratulations, Molly!

08/18/2026

Congratulations to graduate student Yaw Buabeng on completing his internship with Alcon, a global leader in eye care! In this Q&A, Yaw shares more about his experience, the work he contributed to, and what he learned along the way.

Read the full Q&A here: https://psyc.franklin.uga.edu/news/stories/2026/graduate-student-yaw-buabeng-interns-global-eye-care-leader-alcon

08/12/2026

Support UGA Psychology's own Dr. Malissa Clark as she competes for a chance to speak at SXSW!

Her proposed talk, "Why Your Hobby Is Your Secret Superpower," explores how hobbies can boost personal growth, work motivation, performance, and long-term success. Public voting is an important part of the selection process, so if you're able, please take a few minutes to register and cast your vote. Every vote helps!
Best of luck, Dr. Clark!
https://id.sxsw.com/sign_in

08/06/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Dylan Richards, assistant professor in the UGA Department of Psychology, on being featured in the Athens Banner-Herald! His research explores how meeting basic psychological needs, such as autonomy, competence, and connection, may support healthier alcohol use. Read more about his work in the full article below.

New research from the University of Georgia suggests that meeting basic psychological needs can lead to healthier alcohol consumption.

08/05/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Anne Shaffer on her appointment as interim dean of the UGA Graduate School! Since joining the UGA Department of Psychology in 2008, Dr. Shaffer has made a lasting impact as a licensed clinical psychologist, researcher, mentor, and academic leader. We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved achievement and look forward to seeing all she accomplishes in this new role!

Professor and senior associate dean brings nearly two decades of University of Georgia experience to the new post.