Matthew Vess

Matthew Vess is a Professor and Associate Head of Graduate Studies in the Department of Psychology at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on existential concerns such as personal identity, meaning, and mortality, exploring how individuals manage these existential anxieties. He holds a prominent role in graduate education administration, overseeing graduate studies within the department.

His research interests include personality processes, social psychology, and the psychological mechanisms underlying meaning-making. He has authored or co-edited influential works like The Handbook of Terror Management Theory (2018), establishing his expertise in existential psychology. His work often examines the interplay between self-perception, authenticity, and moral reasoning in societal contexts.

Recent studies investigate how beliefs about genetic causality influence parenting practices, the role of awe in meaning experiences, and the psychological effects of self-alienation through mindwandering. His findings frequently appear in journals like Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

Vess currently does not accept new graduate students for 2024-2025. His lab engages in collaborative research, with a focus on applied existential psychology, and he maintains an active Google Scholar profile reflecting prolific publication output across multiple disciplines within psychology.