Dr. Nesa Wasarhaley

Dr. Wasarhaley joined the BSU psychology department in 2014. She specializes in social psychology with a research focus on psychology and law. Her research investigates the effect of victim stereotypes, crime schemas, and juror attitudes on decision-making, principally as these phenomena relate to violence against women and victimization of people from marginalized groups. Dr. Wasarhaley regularly works with student collaborators in her Social Psychology & Law research lab, and mentors Honors thesis and Adrian Tinsley Program summer grant students. She teaches Social Psychology, Cultural Psychology, Orientation to the Psychology Major, and applied courses on social justice issues including the Psychology of Injustice and an Honors Colloquium on Psychological Perspectives on Social Inequality. She previously taught a First-Year Seminar/Colloquium in the BSU Honors Program's interdisciplinary Social Inequality themed cluster. Dr. Wasarhaley was the 2020 recipient of the Early Career Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award from the American Psychology-Law Society (APA Division 41). Dr. Wasarhaley is currently the coordinator of the Adrian Tinsley Program for undergraduate research and creative scholarship. She previously spent a 5-year term (2017-2022) as co-team leader for the Council on Undergraduate Research's (CUR) Transformations Project within BSU's Department of Psychology. With the support of this NSF grant-funded project, the CUR leadership team facilitated faculty-driven efforts to embed undergraduate research skills in inquiry-driven psychology courses, with the goals of increasing student success and retention.