Shelly Gable Nayak

Shelly moved to California from the East Coast after earning her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Rochester. She is currently the Susan and Bruce Worster Dean of Science and a Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  Prior to moving to UCSB she was a professor in the Psychology Department at UCLA.

She is the author of more than 100 scientific articles and has been the principal investigator on several federal and private foundation grants. Her research focuses on motivation, emotion regulation, and close relationships. She is particularly interested in the role of positive emotions in health, social relationships, and resilience more broadly.

Shelly’s awards include teaching awards and scientific awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President George W. Bush. She has served on the boards of several professional societies, federal agency scientific panels, editorial boards for scientific journals, local PTA boards, and school district advisory panels.