Department of Psychology | News

At the beginning of the current academic year, the Franco Institute launched its sixth annual research theme: “Attention.” In addition to awarding grants to faculty and graduate students, the Institute will host the inaugural Dorothy…

The Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame has hired six new faculty members this year, a significant expansion of a field that is core to the University’s commitment to fighting the U.S. mental health crisis.

Avalos, dressed in a traditional charro suit, performs with Mariachi ND and learned to play the guitar for the group.…

Clinical psychologists often narrow in on just one topic for their research. But the life experiences researchers study don’t always occur separately in the real world. “Labs will study addiction, or they'll study suicide,” said Melissa Nance,…

Kristin Valentino, a University of Notre Dame professor of psychology and director of the Shaw Center for Children and Families, has been named the inaugural director of the Veldman…

For Austin Wyman ’23, a current Ph.D. student in quantitative psychology at Notre Dame, the study of mental health is not just academic—it’s personal. Motivated by a family tragedy that might have been prevented with better access to mental health care, Austin has made it his life’s work to understand…

Modern neuroscience understands the brain as a set of specialized systems. Aspects of brain function such as attention, perception, memory, language and thought have been mapped onto distinct brain networks, and each has been examined largely in isolation. While this approach has yielded major advances, it has left unresolved one of the most basic facts about human cognition: its overall unity as…

Austin Wyman ’23 was young when the mental health crisis hit home. A struggling family member reached out to a provider for help, but with no immediately available appointments, the relative soon had a mental health episode. The situation ended in the death of two of Wyman’s family members, and left…

The Franco Institute kicked off its inaugural semester of the Undergraduate Public Humanities Internship (UPHI) in the spring of 2026. The internship comes as part of the Franco Institute’s…

Yanran Chen, a graduate associate at Notre Dame Learning’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence, used to firmly believe that she wasn’t “teacher material” because she is an introvert. However, she’s come to realize introverts can be great teachers, bringing unique strengths into the classroom. Here, she shares some helpful tips she’s collected from both her own experiences and a recent Kaneb Cent…

Jennifer Burke Lefever has worked her entire career in the field of child psychology. Yet, nothing compares to being a parent who needs resources for their own child. That personal experience is what drives her passion as she transitions from managing director of the Shaw Family Center for Children and Families to her current role at the University, helping lead the Mental Health Initiative as ma…

The University of Notre Dame is a top producer of Fulbright students for the 12th consecutive year, according to an announcement from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which administers the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.

A family trip to Ireland inspired rising junior Maeve Mastri, a neuroscience and behavior major in Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters, to spend her summer conducting research in Ireland, funded by the Naughton…

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), in partnership with the University of Notre Dame and WestEd, has been awarded approximately $10 million to expand access to high-impact tutoring in Indiana — part of a nationwide $256 million investment to accelerate literacy achievement across the country.

With a significant new investment, the University of Notre Dame’s College of Arts & Letters is launching the Human Neuroimaging Center to drive innovation in interdisciplinary neuroscience and uncover how brain networks shape the remarkable capacities of the human mind. The center’s work explores enduring questions in the psychological and brain sciences, including how the biological foundations …

George Stephen Howard, age 77, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, passed away peacefully on October 2, 2025, in Wheaton, Illinois, after a long illness. George was born June 8, 1948, to Margaret and John (Sis and Pop) Howard in Bayonne, New Jersey. While he left Bayonne as a young adult, Bayonne never completely left him! George was a dedicated husband, father, gran…

The Research Access and Mentorship Program (RAMP) completed its second year through the Franco Institute at the University of Notre Dame during the summer of 2025. Through RAMP, five students—three from Xavier University and two from Notre Dame—carried out individual research projects under the supervision of their faculty mentors while participating as a cohort in on-campus events and other oppo…

A soundtrack of high-tension music and drums plays in a dark room lit only by a crackling fire. Two rows of seats are filled by people wearing their best poker faces, ready to commit any betrayal necessary for victory. One by one, each person takes a long walk out the door to a separate location where they can cast their vote — the name of who they want to permanently remove from those two rows. …

Caitlin Clements’ day at work might involve analyzing research data, teaching a class, or even facilitating a game of peek-a-boo. For the assistant professor of psychology, simple childhood games can provide critical insight into understanding the development and behavior of autistic children. To continue this groundbreaking work, Clements has received the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation’s Y…

Matthew Kloser has been named Hackett Family Director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) and Nicole McNeil has been appointed the inaugural Sweeney Family Director of the institute’s new Center for Educational Research and Action. Both appointments take effect on October 1. “This talented leadership team and the new Center for Educational Research and Action will empower …