Maria Phelps

Hi, my name is Maria Phelps and I’m a senior from Clarksburg, Maryland! I’ll be graduating in May with a B.S. degree in Psychology and a minor in Biology. While I’ve always had a passion for psychology, I didn’t discover my interest in psychology research until junior year. Since then, I’ve been working in Dr. Sara Algoe’s Emotions and Social Interactions in Relationships (EASIR) Lab studying how first-year students at UNC form and maintain relationships. Additionally, I’m very thankful to be a part of the Spring 2022 cohort of UNC’s Karen M. Gil Internship program! This past January I began interning as a research assistant in the Mother-Infant Biobehavioral Laboratory led by Dr. Karen Grewen, studying the effects of prenatal substance exposure on baby brain and behavior development. I have absolutely loved my research experiences at Carolina and would be happy to share any information that I can about these opportunities! After graduation, I plan to continue working as a research assistant in a psychology lab and eventually get my Ph.D. in social psychology. In my free time, I love cooking meals with my roommates, going to the gym, and listening to NPR’s Hidden Brain podcast. I can’t wait to share all of the amazing things I’ve learned during my time at Carolina, so feel free to reach out with any questions or if you just want to talk!