Diversity Science

Human behavior is potentially shaped by numerous influences: differences related to sex, culture, social class, income, race, ethnicity, language, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and ability status, among others. As the study of human behavior, the discipline of psychology is well-positioned to be a leader in research and theorizing on the lived experience of diverse subgroups of individuals. Yet mainstream psychological inquiry has for the most part not sought to problematize how psychological functioning may be affected by the above-noted differences.

The Diversity Science Cluster was formed in 2013 with the aim of foregrounding the study of psychological dimensions of intersectional social identities with respect to sex, gender, race, ethnicity, cultural identity, age, language, sexuality, etc. This cluster consists of a group of faculty and graduate students (see below). Individually and collectively, members of the group seek to conduct research and engage in other efforts to diversify the questions, conceptual frameworks, methods, and populations studied in psychological research with the goal of making the science, practice, and teaching of psychology more inclusive and more representative.

To facilitate intellectual exchange and build a supportive community of scholars engaged in diversity science, broadly construed, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences has allocated dedicated research and meeting space for shared use by cluster members.

Profiles of cluster members as they relate to diversity science are summarized below. For further information, please consult individual faculty website links. Prospective graduate students or visiting scholars are invited to contact any of the members of the cluster.

Faculty and/or graduate students in any area of psychology and other faculty or graduate students at the university who wish to affiliate with the cluster in the coming year are invited to contact Dr. Jyotsna Vaid, the convener of the cluster. Please provide a brief bio and a 1-page statement indicating how your work aligns with the goals of the cluster and how you foresee your contribution to the cluster. Faculty affiliates are expected to contribute to the development and functioning of the Diversity Science Cluster on at least two out of three levels – research, teaching, or service.