The Department of Psychology presents Alumnus of the Year: Lifetime Achievement Awardee, Dr. Paula Williams, Ph.D., professor and associate chair in the Department of Psychology at The University of Utah.

Dr. Paula Williams, Ph.D.
Dr. Paula Williams, Ph.D.

Williams completed her bachelor’s in genetics and psychology at the University of Illinois, a master’s in clinical psychology at Illinois State University, and a Ph.D. in clinical health psychology at the University of Utah. She returned to The University of Utah after an internship/postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University Medical Center and faculty positions at Loyola University Chicago and Washington State University.

Her research focuses on individual differences in stress risk and resilience, with a recent focus on restoration and stress, including phenotypic and endophenotypic characteristics of habitual short sleepers and individual differences in the experience of aesthetic stimuli (i.e., art, nature, beauty).

Her talk is entitled “Individual differences in engagement with art, nature, and beauty: Associations with awe, stress resilience, and stress-related growth”, which will be held on Friday, October 14, from 2–3 p.m. in DeGarmo 206.