About the Department of Psychology
The Psychology department is a community of dedicated students, staff members, teachers, researchers, and mentors.
Department of Psychology
What We Do
Psychology is a field that studies behavior, mental activities, and the biological processes that underlie them. Psychologists apply the scientific method to understand many different topics, such as, the brain, development, social interactions, personality, psychopathology, and cognition.
Who We Are
The Psychology faculty is made up of award-winning researchers committed to understanding human cognition, development and behavior through teaching and research. As educators at a top-ranked research university, faculty in the Psychology Department offer students the opportunity to work alongside groundbreaking scientists.
Faculty members have a wide range of expertise including Child Development, Clinical Disorders and Treatment, Health Psychology, Cognition, Social Psychology, and Learning. Faculty encourage student engagement in research topics including Memory, Anxiety Disorders, Parent-Child Interactions, Development of Executive Function, Discrimination, Ethnic and Cultural Similarities and Differences, Personality, Romantic Relationships, Diabetes and Chronic Pain Management.
What We Offer
Prepare for Your Future with a Versatile Degree. Find detailed information about our programs here. We also offer an Emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis.
UG
Understand what motivates people and why people behave the way that they do.
- Oxford
- Booneville
- DeSoto
- Tupelo
UG
A research-focused and quantitative approach to studying human behavior.
- Oxford
- Booneville
- DeSoto
- Tupelo
GRAD
Prepare yourself to become a scientific researcher of human behavior or an evidence-based practitioner.
- Oxford
Welcome from the Chair
The Department of Psychology offers a supportive environment where faculty and students can thrive academically and professionally. With research opportunities in areas such as clinical psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, behavioral psychology, and social psychology, the department fosters innovation and discovery. Undergraduate students have the opportunity to engage in research, internships, and benefit from a flexible curriculum that supports a wide range of interests.
Rebekah Smith
Chair and Professor of Psychology
Our Values and Beliefs
The study of psychology centers around understanding behavior and cognition—and how we develop and interact with one another across a wide range of contexts and experiences. As a community of scholars, we support excellence and integrity in teaching, mentorship, and research. We work to support all members of our community by fostering more engaging and enlightening learning experiences, encouraging more rigorous and impactful research, and promoting more harmonious and collegial relationships.
Our Vision
We strive to advance the discipline through significant contributions to research and scholarship, excellence in teaching and mentoring within our undergraduate and graduate programs, dissemination and application of psychological science, and a commitment to supporting access and opportunity.
Our Mission
We aspire to be a leading contributor to the field of psychology and to enhance the human experience through a commitment to excellence in research, teaching, and mentoring in a learning environment grounded in mutual respect, intellectual honesty, and constructive dialogue.
University-wide Resources
Connecting people with opportunities and resources so they may engage the world and pursue their dreams.Department Leadership and Support
Rebekah Smith
- Chair and Professor of Psychology
Kate Kellum
- Instructional Professor of Psychology, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Assistant Chair
Todd Smitherman
- Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training
Joseph Wellman
- Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Experimental Training
Megan Craven
- Operations Coordinator II
Kim Dunnavant
- Operations Coordinator
Matt Ward
- Operations Manager
Clinical Faculty
Kristin Austin
- Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Psychologic Services Center
Sarah Bilsky
- Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology
Lee Cohen
- Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of Psychology
Laura Dixon
- Associate Professor of Psychology
Carey Dowling
- Instructional Professor of Psychology
Laura Drislane
- Assistant Professor of Psychology
Laura Johnson
- Professor of Psychology
Aaron Lee
- Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology
Vanessa Oliphant
- Assistant Professor of Psychology and African American Studies
Taylor Rodriguez
- Assistant Professor of Psychology
Stefan Schulenberg
- Professor of Psychology, Director of Interdisciplinary Minor in Disaster Sciences and Director of the Clinical- Disaster Research Center
Todd Smitherman
- Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training
John Young
- Professor of Psychology
Experimental Faculty
Jeffery Bednark
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Psychology
Anna Kate Edgemon
- Assistant Professor of Psychology