Why Iowa?

Iowa has been at the forefront of psychological research and training for a century, and we still lead today. Our students learn about the field in the classroom and laboratory, and out in the community, developing skills that help them stand out among their peers.

Undergraduate Programs

Graduate Programs

Faculty

Profiles & Research

The department's commitment to research excellence is matched by a commitment to providing outstanding research and professional training for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs.

Research in the News

The New Yorker: What are dreams for?

Mark Blumberg, chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa, discusses his research into the connections among REM sleep, twitches, and dreams in The New Yorker.

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Bruce Bartholow

CLAS psychology professor awarded two NIH grants totaling $7.3 million

Professor Bruce Bartholow, who joined the University of Iowa over the summer, has two upcoming research projects funded by significant grants from the National Institutes of Health.

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Assistant professors McCleery and Baran stand in front of PIER Program poster

PBS faculty provide psychosis intervention series to UI students, community through research project

Professors Amanda McCleery and Bengi Baran launched a program to help people in the University of Iowa community who are experiencing negative mental health symptoms.  

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Jason Radley.jpeg

University of Iowa researchers confirm stress link in the brain

Professor Jason Radley and his team published a paper that significantly advances our understanding of how the medial prefrontal cortex modulates a midbrain structure to determine how animals, including humans, respond to stressful situations. 

Héctor Sánchez Meléndez working at a computer in the UI Psycholinguistics Lab, located in the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic

Learning to decode the brain

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Héctor Sánchez Meléndez made up his mind to study the brain and go to medical school. But as a neuroscience major at the University of Iowa, he discovered a passion for research. Now, he wants to establish a lab back home.

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News and Announcements

Professor Michelle Voss featured in New York Times

Thursday, April 11, 2024
Michelle Voss, Associate Professor and Ronnie Ketchel Faculty Fellow was recently featured in the The New York Times' article "How Exercise Strengthens Your Brain".

CLAS psychology professor retires after 50 years of research at Iowa

Friday, February 9, 2024
Alan Kim Johnson, a faculty member in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, retired in December after 50 years at the University of Iowa. Johnson also held appointments in two other departments.

Upcoming Events

Big Ten Neuroscience Seminar Series

Friday, April 19, 2024 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Virtual
The Big Ten Neuroscience Seminar Series highlights trainees and junior faculty from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in neuroscience. We meet virtually once each month—featuring one Big Ten institution—for presentations and discussion/networking. Seminars are scheduled for afternoons on the third Friday of each month. Zoom link is provided by the host institution. If not added in the event listing, please email iowa-neuroscience-institute@uiowa.edu the week of the seminar to...
Psychological and Brain Sciences Colloquium: Mark D'Esposito, University of California, Berkeley promotional image

Psychological and Brain Sciences Colloquium: Mark D'Esposito, University of California, Berkeley

Friday, April 19, 2024 3:30pm
Psychological and Brain Sciences Building
Psychological and Brain Sciences Colloquium Mark D'Esposito, Professor, Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of California, Berkeley The Neural Architecture of Cognitive Control: From Bench to Bedside A fundamental question in cognitive neuroscience is how we can flexibly guide our behavior. Cognitive control involves the interplay between top-down and bottom-up processes. Bottom-up processes are responsible for guiding automatic behavior and are influenced by...

Big Ten Neuroscience Seminar Series

Friday, May 17, 2024 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Virtual
The Big Ten Neuroscience Seminar Series highlights trainees and junior faculty from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in neuroscience. We meet virtually once each month—featuring one Big Ten institution—for presentations and discussion/networking. Seminars are scheduled for afternoons on the third Friday of each month. Zoom link is provided by the host institution. If not added in the event listing, please email iowa-neuroscience-institute@uiowa.edu the week of the seminar to...
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