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Mohammad Atari, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS), has been included in the latest list of the Association for Psychological Science’s Rising Stars.

The APS Rising Star designation is presented to “outstanding APS members in the earliest stages of their research career post-Ph.D.” This title recognizes researchers whose “innovative work has already advanced the field and signals great potential for their continued contributions.”

“The APS Rising Star designation is more than a recognition of my past work; it’s a motivating reminder of the responsibility to keep growing as a researcher,” Atari says. “I’m deeply grateful and humbled for the acknowledgment. It has already opened doors to new collaborations and inspired me to think more ambitiously about mentorship and interdisciplinary engagement.”

To be eligible for this designation, individuals are evaluated for their promise of excellence in research. Atari's research focuses on moral psychology, cultural psychology and the intersection of morality with social behaviors. He employs a variety of methods, ranging from international surveys and ethnographic experiments with small-scale societies to using advanced computational models to understand how the moral mind functions. His work spans multiple areas, including the variation of moral principles across cultures, the role of morality in radicalization, and social behavior.

“This award to Dr. Atari is clear recognition of what we have all seen in him: a researcher at the cutting edge, who does incredibly creative and rigorous research that combines multiple fields,” says Ilia Karatsoreos, chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. “We are incredibly happy and fortunate to have Mohammad in our department. He’s a much-valued member of PBS, and a great asset to UMass.”

Atari also sees the recognition as something that can benefit CNS. “It’s an opportunity to strengthen the work we’re doing in my lab at CNS and to help shape the next generation of social psychologists here at UMass Amherst,” he says.

More information about the Rising Star designation can be found on the APS website.