Media, Awards, Announcements

Rutgers sought to move beyond a one-size-fits-all scale to provide a biological basis for assessing pain Researchers at Rutgers University-New Brunswick are working to measure pain more accurately beyond the single, subjective question patients are often asked: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is your pain?” In their new study, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, the researchers suggest a more precise way to quantify this discomfort by tracking tiny facial micromovement spikes. These rapid,...

This year, more than 700 students will graduate as Psychology majors. However, only 31 will graduate with the designation “Honors Research Scholar in Psychology”. These 31 represent our most accomplished, intellectually engaged, and outstanding students.  ALL the Honors students did excellent work in the planning, execution, and presentation of their projects.  Everyone (and every project) was outstanding!  We should be proud as a department to have such a talented group of students, and the...

The Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence honors faculty members who have made truly outstanding contributions to research during their early years at Rutgers. Read more here: https://academicaffairs.rutgers.edu/2025%E2%80%932026-faculty-year-end-excellence-award-recipients

Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research’s Howard Leventhal Scholarship for Trainees provides promising doctoral students with funds to jump-start their investigative careers. Howard Leventhal, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and Board of Governors Professor, furthered health psychology research through theoretical and empirical contributions spanning the fields of emotion, illness behavior, and illness attribution. Michelle Hiner is the recipient of the...

For decades, millions used Project Implicit, to test people’s biaises. Due to recent funding cuts the website is no longer viable and this will impact the research community. Dr. Lai and Dr. Lei researchers explain why the site matters to their work, and the field of social psychology. https://whyy.org/articles/social-psychology-research-race-gender-bias

The 2025 recipients of the Arts and Sciences Staff Excellence Recognition Awards for Distinguished Service were celebrated at on Wednesday, February 25 at Winants Hall on the College Avenue campus. Executive Dean Juli Wade and Vice Dean of Administration Bob Maruca presented the awards, recognizing eight individuals and one team whose dedication and impact throughout 2025 elevated the School of Arts and Sciences. Click here to read more.

Young children are more inclined to believe incorrect math information from men than accurate information from women, according to our latest study published in the journal Developmental Science. The findings suggest that early gender stereotypes can influence learning itself, not just attitudes toward intelligence as previously thought. Rutgers Today article: https://www.rutgers.edu/news/how-gender-bias-influences-math-education Research publication:...

On Thursday May 15, 2025 the School of Graduate Studies celebrated the students, faculty and staff who received the 2025 SGS Merit and Achievement awards. Please see below for the list of winners. We are proud of all of our graduates!  Dr. Farris is the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring while Dr. Svensson is the recipient of the Outstanding Doctoral Student Award. 

This year, we expect 700+ students to graduate as Psychology majors. Of those 700+ majors, only 19 will graduate with the designation “Honors Research Scholar in Psychology”. These 19 represent our most accomplished, intellectually engaged, and outstanding students. ALL the Honors students did excellent work in the planning, execution, and presentation of their projects. Everyone (and every project) was outstanding! We should be proud as a department to have such a talented group of students,...

Mindy is currently a doctoral candidate and psychology resident at Brown University, working under the supervision of Dr. Samantha Farris. Her project was titled "A Systematic Review of Safety Behavior Assessment in Psychiatric and Medical Conditions". False safety behaviors are assessed across a diverse range of psychiatric and medical conditions in which they provide short term relief from anxious distress by seemingly preventing feared catastrophes. Safety behaviors sustain anxiety in the...

Tracking Tiny Facial Movements Can Reveal Subtle Emotions in Autistic Individuals Professor Torres’ Sensory Motor Integration Lab has discovered that tiny facial movements – too slight for the human eye to notice – could help scientists better understand social communication in people with autism. The paper, “Hidden social and emotional competencies in autism spectrum disorders captured through the digital lens” was published @Frontiers in Psychiatry. Leading author is Prof. Torres and...

Dr. Mona Elsayed from the Rutgers University Sensory Motor Integration Laboratory, is awarded a two-year Postdoctoral fellowship to bring RU SMIL technology into the hands of parents and practitioners in the autism sensory motor OT practices. The partnership between Dr. Elsayed and Manisha Lad from the Sensory Pathway Center is sponsored by the NJ Department of Labor to expand best practices and introduce scientific advances across businesses serving the NJ community.

Alisa Ray, our laboratory researcher, is the recipient of the 2024 SAS Award for the Outstanding Contribution to Operational Excellence Read more: SAS 2024 Staff Excellence Recognition Awards

Dr. David Barker, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, published a recent opinion piece in The Transmitter discussing the recent threats to scientific funding through a series of executive orders and funding freezes at the NIH. The piece lays out practical advice for institutions, departments, labs, and individuals for how to maintain a positive and inclusive environment as these traverse this changing political landscape.

Dr. Mona Elsayed, a postdoctoral associate working with Professor Elizabeth Torres were awarded the January 2025 Technology of the Month for a developing a 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹 (patent pending) that has sparked the interest of pharmaceutical companies worldwide. The Rutgers Innovation Awards recognize researchers who have translated world-class research into an invention/innovation that would benefit society. Their novel approach uses biosignal data to establish...

Dr. Eileen Kowler passed away on December 30, 2024. Eileen was a distinguished professor, whose dedication to research, service to the department, and contributions to the university and her field were truly exceptional. For over 40 years, we were fortunate to have her as a member of our faculty. To many, Eileen was far more than a colleague. She was a mentor, an advocate, a friend, and an inspirational leader. Eileen was a brilliant scientist, whose work on eye movements, attention, and...