Psychology Professor William Chopik Receives Gerald R. Miller Award for Early Career Achievement

May 15, 2024 - Shelly DeJong

Congratulations to Dr. William Chopik, an associate professor of social/personality psychology in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University for receiving the 2024 Gerald R. Miller Award for Early Career Achievement from the International Association for Relationships Research (IARR).  

The IARR is an interdisciplinary organization that strives to promote advances in the scientific study of personal and social relationships. This award recognizes the distinguished scientific achievements of scholars who are within 10 years of receiving their Ph.D. degrees. The award is named after Gerald R. Miller, a long-time Michigan State faculty member. 

“I consider the International Association for Relationships Research to be my intellectual home. Given that relationships are such an important part of people's lives (including my own), I've always been amazed at the organization's commitment to studying relationships and how it uplifts junior scholars along the way,” said Chopik. “The Gerald Miller Award is very special to me, not only because of its namesake but also because it represents a multidisciplinary quest to help people find and maintain more satisfying relationships in their lives." 

Dr. Chopik runs the Close Relationships Lab where he explores relationships and how the people in them change over time and across situations. His research examines how internal and external factors affect individuals’ approaches to social relationships over time. As a social-personality psychologist, he focuses on close relationships, attachment, aging, well-being, personality traits, and cultural differences. In his short time in the field, Dr. Chopik has published over 160 papers and collaborated with hundreds of scholars all over the world on questions related to close relationships, personality, and health and well-being across the lifespan.  

“This is a fantastic and well-deserved honor for Dr. Chopik,” said Dean of the College of Social Science Brent Donnellan. “He is a prolific and impactful scholar, and we are thrilled that he is a member of our faculty. Congratulations to Dr. Chopik!” 

Chopik will be recognized at the keynote address at the 2024 IARR Conference scheduled for July 5-9, 2024, in Boston, MA. More information can be found here.