Katherine Bruce
Professor
Education
Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Georgia
M.S. in Psychology, University of Georgia
M.A. in Health Education, University of Georgia
B.A. in Psychobiology, Rhodes College
Specialization in Teaching
In the Psychology Department, I am currently teaching Animal Behavior, Evolutionary Psychology, and Teaching of Psychology. I taught Research Methods in Psychology classes for many years, and developed honors sections of several classes that included international travel.
Research Interests
My current research interest is in comparative cognition, examining learning across different species, with a special focus on complex learning (e.g., abstraction and class formation) in rodents. I currently am a co-principal investigator on a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study this. I have also published research on mating behavior in non-human primates, rodents, and fish; risky sexual behavior in humans; and created scales to measure attitudes about sexually transmitted infections.
Professional Service
In addition to being a Professor in the Psychology Department, I was the Director of the UNCW Honors College from 1999-2018. In that role, I also founded the UNCW Center for the Support of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Honors & Awards
UNCW Honors College Faculty Mentor Award, 2025
National Collegiate Honors Council, Sam Schuman Award for Excellence in Honors at a 4-year University, 2024
Fellow, National Collegiate Honors Council, 2010-present
Professor of the Year, state recognition by the CASE/Carnegie Foundation, 2008