Benjamin Freer, PhD, professor of psychology, has been appointed dean of the Marion Turpan College of Psychology and Counseling at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) in New Jersey. Freer joined FDU in 2011 and became a professor in 2024, previously serving as director of the School of Psychology and Counseling and interim dean during the school’s formation. A cofounder of FDU’s Empathy Center for Research and Training, he has led major initiatives in empathy education, accreditation, external partnerships, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Jodi Price, PhD, has been promoted to permanent dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. She assumed the interim role in June 2025 after serving as the college’s associate dean. A member of the faculty since 2008, Price previously chaired the Department of Psychology. Her research focuses on changes in learning and memory across the life span.
Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, has been named the 2026 Scientist of the Year by the ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation San Diego Chapter. Over a career spanning more than 4 decades, she conducted pioneering research on sleep and circadian rhythms in aging, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer. Her work included the first randomized, double-blind continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) trial in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, demonstrating improvements in cognition, sleep, and alertness, as well as slowed disease progression.
Joseph Mazzola, PhD, director of the master’s program in industrial and organizational psychology at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been elected president-elect of the Society of Occupational Health Psychology (SOHP). He has been involved with SOHP for more than 20 years and previously served as program planning chair. His research focuses on the assessment and management of workplace stress, occupational health promotion—particularly the barriers to and facilitators of nutrition and physical activity—and qualitative and mixed-methods research approaches.
Melanie Leuty, PhD, has been named director of the School of Psychology at The University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Education and Human Sciences. Leuty joined the Southern Miss faculty in 2010 as an assistant professor. Her research focuses on career choice and development, career interventions, and vocational assessment.
David Trafimow, PhD, Distinguished Achievement Professor of Psychology at New Mexico State University, received the 2026 Humboldt Research Award. Only 100 Humboldt Awards are granted worldwide each year across all disciplines. Trafimow is internationally recognized for his foundational contributions to psychology, particularly in theory development and research methodology, and his work has played a crucial role in reshaping how researchers think about statistical analysis and research quality.
Debra Mollen, PhD, a professor and director of the counseling psychology doctoral program at Texas Woman’s University, has been named president-elect of the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs. The organization focuses on providing training-related resources and networking opportunities for its members. Mollen’s research interests include women’s sexuality, childfree women, reproductive justice, multicultural counseling, training and teaching issues, and professional development.
