09/22/2026
By Jamie Trottier
The UMass Lowell Department of Psychology is proud to celebrate the promotion of Stephanie D. Block, Ph.D., Urmitapa Dutta, Ph.D. and Megan H. Papesh, Ph.D. to the rank of professor, effective Sept. 1, 2026.
The promotions recognize the faculty members’ accomplishments in research, teaching, mentoring and service, as well as their contributions to the department and the field of psychology.
Stephanie D. Block, Ph.D. studies children involved in the legal and child welfare systems, with research focused on child maltreatment, trauma, memory and eyewitness testimony. Her work examines how psychological science can inform policies and practices affecting children and families.
Urmitapa Dutta, Ph.D. is a critical community psychologist whose scholarship focuses on decolonial and feminist approaches, epistemic justice, structural violence and community-engaged research. Her work centers marginalized knowledge and experiences while examining how communities can create pathways toward social change.
Megan H. Papesh, Ph.D. is a cognitive psychologist whose research explores attention, perception and memory. Her scholarship includes work on visual search, face recognition, eye tracking and memory, with applications ranging from understanding human cognition to improving cancer detection.
Together, the three professors represent the breadth of research and teaching in psychology at UMass Lowell — from cognition and memory to child development, psychology and law, community psychology and social justice.
The Department of Psychology congratulates Professors Block, Papesh and Dutta on this well-deserved milestone and looks forward to their continued contributions to our students, university and discipline.