Welcome!

I’m Wilson, a postdoc within the Center for the Experimental-Philosophical Study of Discrimination (CEPDISC) at Aarhus University (Denmark) and guest researcher at the University of Oslo (Norway). I received my PhD in social psychology from the University of Michigan in 2024.

I study how people navigate social threats (like avoiding illness) and opportunities (like seeking status) in ways that shape interpersonal behavior and intergroup processes. My work focuses on two core puzzles: how people manage the tension between disease avoidance and social connection, and how they navigate group boundaries in contexts of status and hierarchy.

I like to use methods ranging from experiments to geospatial modeling and visual reverse correlation, oftentimes drawing on theory from evolutionary biology, political science, and anthropology. See the “Research” tab for selected publications, ongoing work, and my CV.

I have also been fortunate to teach and mentor many students in both classroom and lab settings. My current pedagogical interests include implementing critical pedagogy in research methods courses, teaching students to “debunk” pervasive pop psych myths, 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 postdoctoral position and 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