University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Welcome

The Rudd Adoption Research Program is located within the University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Our mission is to advance knowledge about the psychology of adoption through original research; mentor the next generation of adoption-competent researchers; engage with community partners to incubate and evaluate innovative programs that have potential for national impact; and provide research-based information to influence practice and policy at agency, state, federal, and international levels. Learn more about the program

Major initiatives of the Rudd Chair are detailed in these pages - We invite your engagement!

Website Update

Our website will be transitioning to a ne​w platform. Please refer to the this document for further details and announcements.

News

Summer Adoption Research Institute 2025

We’re delighted to announce the 4th Summer Adoption Research Institute (SARI) of the Rudd Adoption Research Program, August 3 - 8, 2025! The Summer Institute is a week-long intensive experience aimed to provide advanced research training for graduate students, postdocs, and early career researchers active in the field of adoption research. We seek to attract an interdisciplinary, international cohort of 20 – 25 participants. SARI will be run at the UMass Mt. Ida Campus, located just outside of Boston, in Newton, Massachusetts. 

Details, including the application form and information about fees and accommodations, will be available by January 27, 2025 on our Summer Institute page.

Appointment of Dr. Jennifer McDermott as Interim Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology

The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at UMass Amherst is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Jennifer Martin McDermott as Interim Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology, effective September 1, 2023. During her term as Interim Rudd Chair, Dr. McDermott will provide leadership for Rudd programming, including organizing the Rudd Visiting Professorship program and facilitating interdisciplinary working groups to tackle pressing adoption related issues, and collaborate with scholars and practitioners to inform policy efforts to support adopted children and their families. She will also lead the search process for the new Rudd Chair, who will succeed Dr. Harold Grotevant, Inaugural Rudd Chair, now Emeritus. Dr. Grotevant stated, “I am thrilled that Dr. McDermott will be leading the Rudd Program and the search for the next Rudd Chair. As a developmental psychologist with a broad understanding of the issues involved with adoption in all its forms, she is positioned to continue the progress we have made in the past 15 years and provide a smooth transition for the next Chair.”

Details about the appointment can be found in the link below: https://www.umass.edu/ruddchair/appointment-dr-jennifer-mcdermott-interim-rudd-family-foundation-chair-psychology