Abby Nance

Abby Nance serves as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP), where she has taught since Fall 2020. Based in Sampson Building, Room 108, she instructs core courses including Research Methods Capstone, Health Psychology, and Personality Theories while maintaining an active research program focused on student psychological experiences.

Her educational journey includes:

• Ph.D. in Applied Social and Community Psychology, North Carolina State University (2021)
• MFA in Creative Writing, Texas State University (2007)
• B.A., Warren Wilson College

Dr. Nance's research examines how social emotional skills and belongingness buffer emerging adults against academic impacts of childhood adversity. Working at the intersection of educational, developmental, and social psychology, her work investigates classroom dynamics that foster resilience through mixed-methods approaches informed by her creative writing background. This unique interdisciplinary perspective enables nuanced exploration of student experiences beyond traditional psychological frameworks.

Her prior decade teaching composition and journalism informs her current pedagogical approach, creating distinctive opportunities for students to engage with psychological research through narrative and qualitative lenses. While specific grant details aren't public, her research trajectory suggests active investigation into interventions supporting academic success for students facing adversity.