LAB DIRECTOR

Dr. Nancy Collins
Professor, Social Psychology
Office: Psy-E 3815
E-mail: ncollins@psych.ucsb.edu
Click here to visit Nancy's Research Gate profile.
Biography - After receiving her BA in Psychology from UCLA, Professor Collins completed her PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Southern California. She returned to UCLA for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Psychology, and then served on the faculty at the State University of New at Buffalo from 1993 to 1997. Dr. Collins joined the Psychology Department at UCSB in 1997. Dr. Collins includes among her professional honors the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Theoretical Innovation Prize (2007), the Harold J. Plous Award for outstanding contributions to teaching and research at UCSB (2002), and the Young Investigator Award from the Close Relationships group of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (1991). She is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP), and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SESP). Dr. Collins has also received numerous honors for excellence in teaching and service including an Academic Senate Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award (2017) and an Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award (2004), three Outstanding Teaching Awards from the UCSB Residence Halls Association (1998, 2010, 2011), and the Sarah Miller McCune Service Award (2013). Dr. Collins is currently Chair of the university Human Subjects Committee and the Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences (QMSS) program. She teaches courses in close relationships, research methods, introductory statistics, multivariate statistics, and structural equation modeling. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Fetzer Institute.
Research Interests - Dr. Collins’ research lies at the interface of close relationships, social cognition, and health psychology. Her research explores the social and cognitive processes that shape close relationships in adulthood, and the impact that these processes have on health and well-being across the lifespan. Within these broad domains, her current work is focused on three main topics: (1) Social support processes in couples, with emphasis on the factors that predict effective support-seeking and support-giving behavior in close relationships, including neuroendocrine and cardiovascular mechanisms. (2) Psychosocial predictors of health and well-being, with emphasis on the psychological and biological mechanisms through which close relationships foster resilience and thriving. (3) Social perception processes in close relationships, with emphasis on the ways in which working models of attachment shape how individuals construe their relationship experiences.
Professor, Social Psychology
Office: Psy-E 3815
E-mail: ncollins@psych.ucsb.edu
Click here to visit Nancy's Research Gate profile.
Biography - After receiving her BA in Psychology from UCLA, Professor Collins completed her PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Southern California. She returned to UCLA for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Psychology, and then served on the faculty at the State University of New at Buffalo from 1993 to 1997. Dr. Collins joined the Psychology Department at UCSB in 1997. Dr. Collins includes among her professional honors the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Theoretical Innovation Prize (2007), the Harold J. Plous Award for outstanding contributions to teaching and research at UCSB (2002), and the Young Investigator Award from the Close Relationships group of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (1991). She is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP), and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SESP). Dr. Collins has also received numerous honors for excellence in teaching and service including an Academic Senate Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award (2017) and an Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award (2004), three Outstanding Teaching Awards from the UCSB Residence Halls Association (1998, 2010, 2011), and the Sarah Miller McCune Service Award (2013). Dr. Collins is currently Chair of the university Human Subjects Committee and the Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences (QMSS) program. She teaches courses in close relationships, research methods, introductory statistics, multivariate statistics, and structural equation modeling. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Fetzer Institute.
Research Interests - Dr. Collins’ research lies at the interface of close relationships, social cognition, and health psychology. Her research explores the social and cognitive processes that shape close relationships in adulthood, and the impact that these processes have on health and well-being across the lifespan. Within these broad domains, her current work is focused on three main topics: (1) Social support processes in couples, with emphasis on the factors that predict effective support-seeking and support-giving behavior in close relationships, including neuroendocrine and cardiovascular mechanisms. (2) Psychosocial predictors of health and well-being, with emphasis on the psychological and biological mechanisms through which close relationships foster resilience and thriving. (3) Social perception processes in close relationships, with emphasis on the ways in which working models of attachment shape how individuals construe their relationship experiences.
GRADUATE STUDENTS

Paige Harris
Graduate Student
Office: Building TBA, Room TBA
E-mail: paige.harris@psych.ucsb.edu
Biography & Research Interests - I was born and raised in Thousand Oaks, CA, and moved to Austin, TX for my undergraduate education. I earned a B.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin in 2016, where I worked in Dr. Loving’s Close Relationships Lab. Following graduation, I moved back to southern California and volunteered in Dr. Collins’ Close Relationships Lab and Dr. Conroy-Beam’s Computational Mate Choice Lab here at UCSB. Now a graduate student in Dr. Collins’ lab, my research interests include close relationships, psychophysiology, and physical activity. I am broadly interested in how close relationships impact physical health and well-being, and also how health behaviors (including physical activity) affect close relationship functioning. Outside of research, I love playing and watching sports, reading, lounging on the beach, and spending time with friends and family.
Graduate Student
Office: Building TBA, Room TBA
E-mail: paige.harris@psych.ucsb.edu
Biography & Research Interests - I was born and raised in Thousand Oaks, CA, and moved to Austin, TX for my undergraduate education. I earned a B.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin in 2016, where I worked in Dr. Loving’s Close Relationships Lab. Following graduation, I moved back to southern California and volunteered in Dr. Collins’ Close Relationships Lab and Dr. Conroy-Beam’s Computational Mate Choice Lab here at UCSB. Now a graduate student in Dr. Collins’ lab, my research interests include close relationships, psychophysiology, and physical activity. I am broadly interested in how close relationships impact physical health and well-being, and also how health behaviors (including physical activity) affect close relationship functioning. Outside of research, I love playing and watching sports, reading, lounging on the beach, and spending time with friends and family.

Delancey Wu
Graduate Student
Office: Building TBA, Room TBA
E-mail: delancey.wu@psych.ucsb.edu
Biography & Research Interests - I grew up in Maryland, and I earned my BS in Psychology and Decision Science at Carnegie Mellon University in 2017. In my time at Carnegie Mellon, I have worked as a research assistant for Brooke Feeney's Interpersonal Relationships Lab. My main research interest involves how different kinds of motivations, such as intrinsic and altruistic motives, interact with each other to affect relationship outcomes. Along with developing my research skills and my knowledge base, I also have a long-term goal of raising a dog. Outside of research, I also enjoy playing video games, spending time in coffeehouses, and exploring this new world that is the west coast.
Graduate Student
Office: Building TBA, Room TBA
E-mail: delancey.wu@psych.ucsb.edu
Biography & Research Interests - I grew up in Maryland, and I earned my BS in Psychology and Decision Science at Carnegie Mellon University in 2017. In my time at Carnegie Mellon, I have worked as a research assistant for Brooke Feeney's Interpersonal Relationships Lab. My main research interest involves how different kinds of motivations, such as intrinsic and altruistic motives, interact with each other to affect relationship outcomes. Along with developing my research skills and my knowledge base, I also have a long-term goal of raising a dog. Outside of research, I also enjoy playing video games, spending time in coffeehouses, and exploring this new world that is the west coast.
RECENT GRADUATES


Christopher Bromberg, M.A.
Researcher & Project Manager, EVALCORP Research & Consulting
E-mail: christopherbromberg@gmail.com
Researcher & Project Manager, EVALCORP Research & Consulting
E-mail: christopherbromberg@gmail.com

Lauren Winczewski, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Nappa Valley College
E-mail: Lauren.Winczewski@napavalley.edu
Click here to visit Lauren's Research Gate profile.
AFFILIATED ALUMNI

Will Ryan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, University of Toronto
E-mail: thewillryan@gmail.com
Click here to visit Will's Research Gate profile
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, University of Toronto
E-mail: thewillryan@gmail.com
Click here to visit Will's Research Gate profile
ALUMNI
Bianca Acevedo
Research Scientist Neuroscience Research Institute, UCSB |
Lisa Allard
Senior Director, Leadership for Educational Equity |
Brooke Feeney
Professor Carnegie Mellon University |
Maire Ford
Professor Loyola Marymount University |
Anamarie Guichard
Associate Professor California State University, Stanislaus |
Lisa Jaremka
Associate Professor University of Delaware |
Heidi Kane
Associate Professor University of Texas, Dallas |
Cynthia Khan
Senior Social Science Analyst, U.S. Government Accountability Office |
