Welcome!

I’m Wilson, a postdoc within the Center for the Experimental-Philosophical Study of Discrimination (CEPDISC) at Aarhus University and guest researcher at the University of Oslo. I received my PhD in social psychology from the University of Michigan in 2023, where I worked primarily with Dr. Josh Ackerman and Dr. Arnold Ho.

My current research focuses on psychological processes that help people manage fundamental threats and opportunities in their environment(s) in ways that facilitate social success and survival. I am especially interested in how ecological dimensions (e.g., resource patchiness) and sociopolitical motivations (e.g., egalitarianism) influence decision-making in ways that attenuate (or unfortunately oftentimes facilitate) economic inequality and discrimination. I enjoy examining these processes at multiple levels of analysis by incorporating theories from different disciplines (e.g., Evolutionary Biology, Political Science) and by employing a variety of analytical tools (e.g., controlled experiments, surveys, secondary data analysis).

I have also been fortunate to teach and mentor many students in both classroom and lab settings. My current pedagogical interests include teaching analytical writing using psychological science, implementing critical pedagogy within research methods courses, and examining the power and pitfalls of introducing evolutionary perspectives on human psychology into undergraduate curriculums. Please see the “Teaching & Mentoring” tab for more details about these experiences and to access course materials I have developed.

Prior to my graduate studies, I received a BA in Economics and Psychology from Macalester College (Saint Paul, MN) and worked as a research analyst at The Brattle Group (Washington, DC). I grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY, a place known primarily for one of the longest walking bridges in the world, Vassar College, and an episode of Friends.

Contact: wmerrell@ps.au.dk