Spencer Mermelstein

Education

• Psychology, BA, University of California - Santa Barbara, 2014
• Developmental & Evolutionary Psychology, Ph.D., University of California - Santa Barbara, Expected 2020

Bio

Spencer graduated from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at UC Santa Barbara with a BA in Psychology, with High Honors and Distinction in the Major, in Spring 2014.

During his undergraduate career, Spencer worked as a research assistant in a variety of labs, varying in focus from the cognitive neuroscience of memory and decision-making to social exchange and cooperation in group settings. These experiences then informed his Senior Honors Thesis work, which was conducted with the support of Dr. German's Cognition and Development Lab and the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) Grant. This project investigated the degree to which intuitions about persons coexist and interfere with beliefs about God among religious believers.

Post graduation, Spencer worked at Santa Barbara City College as the Laboratory Teaching Assistant while continuing to work and expand upon his Senior Thesis findings.

In Fall 2015, Spencer formally rejoined the Cognition and Development Lab, now as a Ph.D. student in Developmental & Evolutionary Psychology. In addition to developing a research program investigating the consequences of human phylogeny on cognition, Spencer wants to share his experiences as an undergrad at UC Santa Barbara and assist others on the path to grad school. This goal guides his instruction as a Teaching Assistant and now as a mentor with BIOME. Feel free to contact him even if you have the slightest interest in learning more about how you can best prepare yourself for grad school, or what an academic / research career path fully entails.