Emily Watkins
- Graduate Student
Contact Info
Education —
Research —
Advisor: Monica Biernat, PhD
Research Lab: Stereotyping and Social Judgment Lab
Emily is a sixth-year Social Psychology PhD candidate. She obtained her BA in psychology from Rhodes College and has also spent time conducting public relations research in Washington, DC. Emily is interested in organizational diversity initiatives, their effectiveness, and backlash/resistance to implementing these initiatives. Her dissertation work focuses on the impact of different definitions of diversity on organizational perceptions. She also conducts research on racial/ethnic and gender differences in STEM and HEED career interest, and the effect of teaching proper name pronunciation on interethnic interactions.
Selected Publications —
Biernat, M., Zhao, X., Watkins, E. C., & Leonardelli, G. J. (2025) Effects of name learning and name use on inter-ethnic perceptions. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 00(0), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302251344919.
Moser, C. E., Watkins, E. C., & Branscombe, N. R. (2024). Perceived influence drives the ability of ally men to communicate respect to women in male-dominated fields. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302241257184.
Biernat, M., Zhao, X., & Watkins, E. C. (2024). Names matter: Implications of name “whitening” for ethnic minority discrimination and well-being. Current Directions in Psychological Science 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241247017.
Weeks, M., Weeks, K., & Watkins, E. C. (2021). Using the shifting standards model of stereotype-based judgments to examine the impact of race on compensation decisions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 51, 176-189. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12724.
White, K. K., Abrams, L., Hsi, L. R., & Watkins, E. C. (2018). Are precues effective in proactively controlling taboo interference during speech production? Cognition and Emotion, 32, 1625-1636. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2018.1433637.
Service —
Student Member, Institutional Review Board
Memberships —
IRB Student Representative
Member, Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Member, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
Community Involvement
Psychology Diversity Committee, Vice President, 2024-2025 Academic Year
Representative from Social Psychology, Chair Search Committee, Psychology Department, University of Kansas (Spring 2024)
Social Psychology Department Student Representative, Psychology Department, University of Kansas (Fall 2023 – Spring 2024)
Student Representative, Graduate Admissions Committee, University of Kansas (Fall 2022 – Spring 2023)
Student Representative, Institutional Review Board (IRB), University of Kansas (Fall 2022 – Present)
Facilitator, Jayhawks Give a Flock – Active Bystander/Sexual Assault Prevention Training, University of Kansas (Summer 2022-2024)
Visiting Student Committee, University of Kansas (Spring 2022, Spring 2023)
Reviewer, Undergraduate Research Symposium, University of Kansas (Spring 2022, Spring 2023)