Roxane Cohen Silver

Roxane Cohen Silver is Distinguished Professor of Psychological Science, Medicine, and Public Health at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), and Vice Provost for Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning. She holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Her research focuses on coping with personal and collective traumatic events, including natural disasters, mass violence, pandemics, and cascading hazards. She leads the Silver Stress and Coping Lab, examining how media exposure and societal factors influence psychological responses to traumatic events. Notable studies include longitudinal analyses of the 9/11 attacks, the Boston Marathon bombings, and the global pandemic.

Her work spans over three decades, addressing resilience, stress, and societal impacts of disasters. She advises national and international agencies, including the NSF-funded study on the psychological impact of the pandemic. Awards include the 2024 American Academy of Arts & Sciences membership and the 2020 APA Division 56 Lifetime Achievement Award. She collaborates globally, co-founding Psychology Beyond Borders to apply psychological science to real-world crises.

• Education: Ph.D., Northwestern University
• Labs/Teams: Silver Stress and Coping Lab, UCI COVID-19/Turbulence in Society Project
• Grants: NSF funding for pandemic studies, interdisciplinary projects on disaster impacts

Recent studies highlight the psychological effects of cascading traumas (e.g., Ukraine war, Israel-Hamas conflict) and climate-related disasters. Her research bridges traditional and social media’s role in transmitting stress beyond directly affected areas, emphasizing public health and policy implications.