Mitch Prinstein

Mitch Prinstein is the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also serves as Director of Clinical Psychology. He accepts doctoral students from both the Clinical Psychology Program and the Developmental Psychology Program.

His research, conducted through the UNC Peer Relations Lab (formerly at Yale University), focuses on:

• Biomarkers of social stress-responses and their link to self-injurious thoughts
• Peer influence on adolescent health risk behaviors
• Technology’s role in adolescent development

His work has been featured in over 200 media outlets, including The New York Times, National Public Radio, and CNN, as well as two TEDx talks. He is the Chief Science Officer of the American Psychological Association and has previously served as President for the Society for the Science of Clinical Psychology and the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Dr. Prinstein has authored influential books like The Portable Mentor (2013) and Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World (2017). His recent research (2024–2025) spans topics such as:

• Neurobiological sensitivity to peer status and social media use
• Proinflammatory gene expression as a predictor of suicidal behavior
• Digital stress and its longitudinal impact on depressive symptoms
• Peer conformity and identity alignment

He remains actively engaged in professional development initiatives, including the CUDCP Undergraduate Website for graduate school guidance, and has received grant funding for his research, including projects in 2005 and 2006.