Vedra Chandler has spent much of her life moving between worlds — from growing up in Camden to studying at Harvard, from performing on the road with the Broadway hit musical “Hairspray” to working in the city’s nonprofit and arts communities. Now, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in public affairs at Rutgers University–Camden, where she is examining how arts and culture can help cities thrive.
A cohort of psychology students and faculty recently presented their research to a global audience at the Convention of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) held in Barcelona. Their poster presentations on emotion recognition and support for renewable energy were part of the international gathering that drew nearly 2,500 attendees from 73 countries to Spain’s second-largest city.
One year after pursuing graduate studies at Cardiff University on a Fulbright scholarship, Rutgers–Camden alumna Sophia Westfall is preparing for another milestone. The 2025 graduate has earned admission to the University of Cambridge, where she will pursue a doctorate in English. Throughout her journey, Westfall, Rutgers–Camden’s first UK Fulbright recipient, has served as a cultural ambassador for the United States while expanding on the research in environmental humanities she developed as an undergraduate.
Rutgers University–Camden students Oscar Rios Barragan and Lucas Liona have been named Spring 2026 recipients of the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a nationally competitive program that supports students pursuing study and internship opportunities abroad.
Recent alums of the graduate program in psychological science, who served as research assistants in the Resilience, Equity, and Community Health Lab, will continue their education and scholarship at three highly regarded Ph.D. programs.
Groundbreaking research, influential scholarship, and bold creative work took center stage as Rutgers University–Camden celebrated the 2026 Chancellor’s Awards for Research and Creative Activity. Drawn from both tenured and non-tenured faculty ranks and designed to recognize work that spans disciplines, methodologies, and forms of expression, this year’s recipients reflect the breadth and vitality of the university’s academic community.