Thriving Together
Shelly Nayak, Member-at-Large
Shelly moved to California from the East Coast after earning her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Rochester. She began her career on the faculty in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is now Professor and Chair of the Psychological & Brain Sciences Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
She is the author of more than 75 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 grant panels, editorial boards for scientific journals, local PTA boards, and school district advisory panels.
Back
She is the author of more than 75 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 grant panels, editorial boards for scientific journals, local PTA boards, and school district advisory panels.
Publications
Community
Laguna Blanca is Santa Barbara’s premier private, co-educational, college preparatory day school for students in Early Kindergarten through Grade 12.