The Association for Psychological Science (APS) recognizes Alloy for shaping the future directions of science by fostering students and colleagues’ careers.
Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Lauren Alloy has won the 2027 APS Mentor Award.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
Lauren Alloy, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, has been recognized with the 2027 Association for Psychological Science (APS) Mentor Award.
An internationally acclaimed researcher in mood disorders, Alloy has earned numerous distinguished science and lifetime achievement awards from professional organizations and scientific societies. This latest honor marks her fifth major award in mentoring alone, including Temple’s first Outstanding Graduate Mentorship Award during the 2025–2026 academic year.
The APS Mentor Award recognizes psychology researchers and educators who’ve shaped the future directions of science by fostering students and colleagues’ careers.
One secret to Alloy’s mentorship success? Prompt feedback.
“Two of my former students gifted me with a ‘fastest email responder in the world’ award,” said Alloy. “I’m very responsive because I want to be there for my students and support them while they’re working with me and years after they graduate.”
Throughout her career, she has served as the primary supervisor of about 90 PhD students and counting. Alloy has also mentored postdoctoral fellows, undergraduate Honors students and post-baccalaureate research assistants.
“My core mentoring goal is to encourage my students to take intellectual ownership of their research and to help them develop their own signature scientific style and areas of expertise,” she said. “I try to provide many opportunities to develop their research so that they can become well-known, independent scientists and make an impact.”
Alloy also emphasizes shining the limelight on her mentees by promoting their careers and interests. For example, she allows students to be first authors on publications and to analyze data through grants awarded to her.
She notes that her mentorship recognition is largely due to her well-accomplished mentees. “My proudest professional achievements are when my doctoral students experience major successes such as getting their first author papers published, receiving their PhDs, winning major research awards, being hired as tenure-track assistant professors and becoming major leaders in their fields, and knowing that I have contributed to their successes,” said Alloy.
In her own work, Alloy seeks to answer why some individuals are vulnerable to depression and bipolar disorder while others remain resilient. She has developed several theories and conducted research to better understand the mechanisms causing these mental health disorders. Her work has helped shape the field’s understanding of these conditions, with important implications for early identification, prevention and treatment.
Alloy has authored more than 470 publications in scientific journals spanning psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience and has been in the top 1% of Most Cited Authors in Psychology. Additionally, she’s a fellow of APS, the American Psychological Association, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the American Psychopathological Association, and the Society of Experimental Social Psychology.
After teaching at Northwestern University, where she became the first woman and youngest full professor in the history of its Psychology Department, Alloy began her tenure at Temple in July 1989. At the time, Alloy’s father Philip Bersh was also a psychology professor at Temple.
“One thing that’s fantastic about the Psychology and Neuroscience Department is that we have a lot of outstanding faculty who are fabulous scientists and people,” she said. “I learn from them, and we support one another. Being in such a collegial and collaborative environment allows me to flourish.”
The department’s faculty awards committee nominated Alloy for the APS Mentor Award. She’ll be formally recognized at the APS Annual Convention in Seattle in May 2027.
“Mentoring is one of my most important roles and one of my favorite things to do, so this award is very meaningful to me,” she said. “I try to be the best mentor I can, and I think I’ve mostly succeeded at that.”