I'm an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago, where I direct the Belief, Identity, and Group Relations Lab.

 

As a social psychologist, I study intergroup relations with a particular focus on the ways in which religion, as both a group membership and system of beliefs, affects moral decision-making, social attitudes, and behaviors in intergroup contexts. I also study intergroup relations along racial, political, and sexual orientation lines, with an emphasis on how social psychological theory can be leveraged to advance social change and promote equality.

 

Using cross-cultural field research, longitudinal studies, controlled experiments, and surveys, my work expands social psychology beyond traditionally studied populations and identities to build ecologically valid and contextually grounded theories on intergroup relations.

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I earned my Ph.D. in social psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and am a proud graduate of Bates College, where I earned a B.A. in political psychology.

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Get in touch: mpasek@uic.edu