Dr. Katy Bruchmann earns tenure and is promoted to Associate Professor
This fall, Dr. Katy Bruchmann earned tenure and was promoted to the position of Associate Professor. Dr. Bruchmann joined our faculty in 2013 after earning her PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Iowa.
Bruchmann has an active research lab at Santa Clara that explores two main topics. First is social comparison, or how comparisons with others influence the way people feel about themselves. Dr. Bruchmann’s lab studies social comparison in several different contexts including body image, social media, and using comparison information to motivate sustainable behaviors. The lab’s other line of research examines how political differences in the morals that people tend to prioritize can explain how people interact with political in-versus out-group members, or how they conceptualize things such as police violence or racial stereotypes.
Bruchmann teaches several classes in our curriculum; her favorites being Social Psychology and Psychology of Gender. Both of these courses emphasize how social psychological research can have an impact on our day to day lives, and challenge traditional ways of thinking. Dr. Bruchmann has been on sabbatical this year, but she is excited to be back in the classroom during the ‘22/’23 school year!
Outside of work, Dr. Bruchmann loves exploring all that the Bay Area has to offer -- whether it’s trying new restaurants (always seeking recommendations!) hiking with her bulldogs, or spending a day at the beach watching her 3 year old build sand castles. Dr. Bruchmann and her husband are also expecting a new baby this quarter, so hobbies will likely soon be replaced with folding baby clothes, changing diapers, and trying to catch zzs whenever possible.