Kelley Bui ’26 Earns SUNY’s Highest Undergraduate Achievement
Bui graduated with experience conducting complex research and as a co-author of a scientific journal article.
Congratulations to Kelley Bui, who graduated in December 2025 among the top 1% of students, on receiving the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence.
A meticulous and intellectually curious social psychology researcher, she conducted complex research, sought out research opportunities, and fostered inclusive, dynamic learning communities.
In the classroom, professors remarked on her ability to foster an intellectually stimulating environment by actively elevating the conversation with her own unique perspectives and encouraging her peers to engage with complex topics.
An active member of both Psi Chi and the Psychology Club, Bui served as president of both. She was a learning assistant for the Behavioral Statistics class and earned the Certificate in Early Childhood Education available within the Psychology program.
Passionate about social psychological research, Bui pursued a variety of research training opportunities while on campus.
As a research assistant in Associate Professor of Psychology Yanine Hess’ lab, Bui experienced how to run social psychological studies and manage complex datasets. She scheduled and ran participants through a research study, maintained participant logs, and followed a strict protocol, as the study was part of an international, multi-site replication project. She also provided feedback on the completed manuscript, which means she is a co-author on the final publication.
For her senior project, Bui worked with Associate Professor of Psychology Krystal Perkins ’02, carving out a clever research project after conducting a thorough literature review. She conducted a very complex multistep study, built on the social psychological theory known as the rejection-identification model (RIM), with meticulousness and professionalism.
Exhibiting a genuine enthusiasm about psychological research, Bui plans to pursue a PhD in social psychology in the fall of 2026.