Culture

A woman with curly black hair and a green top smiles outdoors with trees in the background.

Acheme, Doris

Assistant Professor, Communication Studies
website | doris.acheme@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Intergroup and intercultural communication; Social identity negotiation; Language attitudes; Racial ideologies

Ager, Mary

Associate Professor, Social Work
website | ager@uga.edu

Research Interests: Poverty, social policy, consumer debt, and social media

A man in a grey suit, light blue striped tie, and white shirt smiles at the camera with a blurred brick wall background.

Banks, Leon

Assistant Professor, Social Work
website | banks03@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Culture, Diversity, Mental Health, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

Brody, Gene

Regents’ Professor Emeritus, Human Development and Family Science
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | gbrody@uga.edu

Research Interests include origins and prevention of chronic diseases

Brosius, Peter

Professor, Anthropology
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | pbrosius@uga.edu

Research Interests include environmental anthropology, cultural politics of conversation, political ecology, hunter-gatherers, transnational environmental movements and institutions, and human ecology in SE Asia

A man wearing glasses and a beige button-up shirt stands smiling in a lush, green forested area near a stream.

Calabria, Jon

Professor, Landscape Architecture
website | jcalabr@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Assessment and Evaluation, Culture, Diversity, Education and Learning, Environment and Ecosystems, Geographic Information Systems, Survey Methods

Campbell, Keith

Professor, Psychology
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | wkc@uga.edu

Research Interests include Narcissism, personality, wealth science, and shamanic medicine

Caughy, Margaret

Georgia Athletic Association Professor, Family Health Disparities
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | margaret.caughy@uga.edu

Research Interests include academic achievement, self-regulation, and minoritized populations

A woman with straight, shoulder-length brown hair smiles at the camera, wearing a dark blazer over a striped top, with a blurred light background.

Chapman-Hilliard, Collette

Associate Professor, Counseling and Human Development Services
website | collette.hilliard@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Culture, Diversity, Higher Education, Identity, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Survey Methods, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

A middle-aged man with glasses, a beard, and a checked shirt smiles at the camera, standing in front of a building with arched windows.

Coverdill, James

Meigs Professor, Sociology
website | jimcov@uga.edu

Research Interests include sociology of work and organizations, work-hour reforms and surgical work

Elkins, Jennifer

Associate Professor, Social Work
website | jelkins@uga.edu

Research Interests include sexual abuse and child maltreatment, interpersonal and multigenerational trauma, violence and loss, PTSD and trauma related disorders, ecological/transactional and risk/resilience processes across the lifespan, and culturally congruent research and practice

A woman with long dark hair, wearing a black blazer, black top, and a pearl necklace, smiles in front of a cloudy gray background.

Fields-Smith, Cheryl

Professor, Educational Theory and Practice
website | cfields@uga.edu

Research Interests include family involvement, sociocultural context of teaching and learning, multicultural education, homeschooling among African American families, and African American educational history

A woman with long, straight dark hair smiles at the camera against a gray background. She is wearing a black top with white polka dots and stud earrings.

Fisher, Sycarah

Associate Professor, Educational Psychology
2020-22 GDP Participant, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | sycarah.fisher@uga.edu

Research Interests include substance use, minorities, African Americans, school mental health, and implementation science

A person with medium-length brown hair, wearing a dark coat and a maroon scarf, stands in front of a light-colored stone wall.

Forrest, Jon

Assistant Professor, Linguistics
website | jrforrest@uga.edu

Research Interests: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Computational Methods, Culture, Ethnography, Networks, Work and Occupations

Woman with long dark hair, smiling, wearing a yellow and white striped top, posed in front of a plain gray background.

Galvan, Thania

Assistant Professor, Psychology
website | thania.galvan@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Mental health disparities; Latinx youth & families; Latinx immigrants; Traumatic stress; Risk & Resilience pathways

A woman with straight, shoulder-length brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a gray cardigan, white top, and a pendant necklace. Green foliage is in the background.

German, Laura

Professor, Anthropology
Director, Center for Integrative Conservation Research
website | lgerman@uga.edu

Research Interests include land and environmental governance, property rights, and sub-Saharan Africa

A woman with short brown hair and a black sleeveless top smiles while standing in front of a plain light-colored wall.

Graizbord, Diana

Associate Professor, Sociology
website | dgraizbord@uga.edu

Research Interests include sociology of science, political sociology, globalization, and development and social change

Haas, Brian

Associate Professor, Psychology
website | bhaas@uga.edu

Research Interests include social and affective functioning in humans, decision making, and individual differences

A woman with straight, light brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a white top with a floral pattern and a necklace. The background is dark and out of focus.

Harrison, Ashley

Professor, Educational Psychology
website | ashley.harrison@uga.edu

Research Interests include atypical emotional and social attention in childhood psychopathology, information-processing framework to examine the differential developmental trajectory of social attention among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and identifying ways to more effectively treat attention impairments

A woman with long dark hair and glasses smiles at the camera, wearing a blue shirt. The background is white.

He, Yimin

Assistant Professor, Psychology
website | yiminhe@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Culture, Mental Health, Networks, Organizations, Physical Health and Well-being, Survey Methods, Work and Occupations

Holloway, Steven

Professor, Geography
website | holloway@uga.edu

Research Interests include the geography of youth labor markets, the impact of public housing on the geographies of poverty and crime, and the geographically contingent nature of discrimination in mortgage lending

A woman with curly hair wearing a green blazer and floral top smiles outdoors with greenery in the background.

Johnson, Tracey

Assistant Professor, History
website | tdjohnson@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Crime and Corrections, Culture, Diversity, Education and Learning, Gender, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

A man with short dark hair, wearing a white shirt and a small hoop earring, stands outside in front of a light-colored building.

Lapegna, Pablo

Associate Professor, Sociology
2023-2025 Grant Development Program Participant
website | plapegna@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Environmental and rural sociology; Social movements; Political sociology; Health

A man with short black hair wearing a checked shirt and dark blazer smiles at the camera outdoors.

Lei, Man Kit (Karlo)

Associate Professor, Sociology
website | karlo@uga.edu

Research Interests include epigenetic aging, neighborhood studies, and cardiovascular disease risk

A smiling person with short blonde hair wearing a black blazer, posed in front of a plain gray background.

Majewska, Ania

Assistant Professor, Physiology and Pharmacology
website | majewska@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Culture, Education and Learning, Higher Education, Infectious Disease, STEM, Survey Methods

McFarlane, Soroya

Assistant Professor, Communication Studies
2021-23 GDP Participant, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | soroyamcfarlane@uga.edu

Research Interests include health communication, health disparities, community-engaged research, and culture

A woman with long, curly, graying hair stands outside in front of a green house with white trim, looking directly at the camera.

Melcher, Katherine

Professor, College of Environment and Design
website | kmelcher@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Aging and Gerontology, Cognition, Culture, Environment and Ecosystems, Ethnography, Gender, Geographic Information Systems, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, Identity, Mental Health, Obesity, Organizations, Physical Health and Well-being, Policy, Regulation, and Compliance, Prevention and Implementation Science, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

A middle-aged man with short gray hair and a beard stands outdoors, smiling, wearing a light blue collared shirt. Leafless branches and greenery are visible in the background.

Mihm, Stephen

Professor, History
website | mihm@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Economic history; History of organizations

A man with short brown hair and glasses is standing outdoors in front of green foliage and red flowers, wearing a light blue striped shirt.

Nelson, Don

Professor, Anthropology
website | dnelson@uga.edu

Research Interests include climate change, environmental governance, poverty, food security, vulnerability, and adaptation

O’Neal, Catherine

Associate Professor, Human Development & Family Science
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | cwalker1@uga.edu

Research Interests include life course, cumulative life experiences, health and well-being, adolescent life stage, vulnerable populations, military families; racial/ethnic minorities, and health outcomes

Pjesivac, Ivanka

Associate Professor, Journalism
website | ivanka@uga.edu

Research Interests include media effects, international and cross cultural communication, and virtual reality journalism

A man in a blue suit and glasses stands in an office, smiling, with bookshelves, a desk, and artwork visible in the background.

Pridemore, William

Department Head and Franklin Professor of Sociology
website | pridemore@uga.edu

Research Interests: Assessment and Evaluation, Crime and Corrections, Culture, Physical Health and Well-being, Policy, Regulation, and Compliance, Prevention and Implementation Science, Risk Behaviors, Substance Use and Addiction, Violence and Injury

Robinson, Dawn

Professor, Sociology
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
2021 OIBR Service Legacy Award Recipient
website | sodawn@uga.edu

Research Interests include emotion, culture, group processes, and social networks

Robinson, Michael

Associate Professor, Social Work
website | marobi01@uga.edu

Research Interests include social problems, juvenile delinquency, urban communities, young adults, women in recovery, nutrition, self care, and health disparities

Safadi, Hani

Associate Professor, Management Information Systems
website | hanisaf@uga.edu

Research Interests include healthcare IT, open-source organizing, social media, and online communities

Salmi, Roberta

Assistant Professor, Anthropology
website | rsalmi@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Cognition, Communication, Culture

A person with curly brown hair smiles at the camera outdoors, with red rocks and greenery visible in the blurred background.

Schlesinger, Ari

Assistant Professor, School of Computing
website | ari.schlesinger@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Communication, Computational Methods, Culture, Diversity, Education and Learning, Ethnography, Gender, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, Identity, Media, Organizations, Policy, Regulation, and Compliance, Sexuality and Sexual Identity, STEM, Work and Occupations

Woman with short dark hair wearing a patterned jacket and black turtleneck, posing against a brown gradient background.

Seock, Yoo-Kyoung

Professor, Textiles, Merchandising & Interiors
website | yseock@uga.edu

Research Interests include consumer psychology and behavior, cross-cultural study, and adolescents’ behavioral study

Shannon, Jerry

Associate Professor, Geography
website | jshannon@uga.edu

Research Interests include food access, food insecurity, participatory research, and urban development

Suveg, Cynthia

Professor, Psychology
website | csuveg@uga.edu

Research Interests include child, family, and developmental psychopathology

A woman with straight brown hair and a neutral expression stands in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Tanner, Susan

Associate Professor, Anthropology
website | stanner1@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Chronic Disease, Culture, Ethnography, Exercise, Food & Nutrition, Infectious Disease, Physical Health and Well-being, Prevention and Implementation Science, Risk Behaviors, Survey Methods

A woman with short black hair, wearing a navy blazer and gold earrings, smiles at the camera against a plain gray background.

Terui, Sachiko

Assistant Professor, Communication Studies
2022-2024 GDP Participant, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | sterui@uga.edu

Research Interests include HIV, health literacy, health disparities, intervention, and community

Thompson, Jennifer Jo

Senior Research Scientist, Crop & Soil Sciences
website | jjthomp@uga.edu

Research Interests include food systems, social justice, policy outcomes, risk perception, and sustainable food

Man wearing an orange jacket and a dark shirt stands indoors, smiling, with black-and-white architectural drawings displayed on the wall behind him.

Verma, Amitabh

Associate Professor, Environment + Design
website | averma@uga.edu

Research Interests include drawing, creativity, mental health, urban design, anxiety management, and architecture

Watkins, Kimberly

Assistant Professor, Financial Planning, Housing, and Consumer Economics
website | kimberly.watkins@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Culture, Diversity, Education and Learning, Emotion, Gender, Identity, Marriage, Family, and Close Relationships, Mental Health, Personality, Physical Health and Well-being, Sexuality and Sexual Identity, Social Psychology, Survey Methods

Wieling, Elizabeth

Professor, Human Development & Family Science
website | ewieling@uga.edu

Research Interests include traumatic stress, evidence based interventions for parenting, and Latinx families