Biography

NOTE: Dr. Gunsoy will accept new doctoral students for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Dr. Gunsoy’s research focuses on culture’s role in interpersonal and intrapersonal processes. She investigates culture’s influence on reputation management, impression formation, and health behaviors. She is interested in understanding these processes in understudied racial and ethnic groups, such as Middle Eastern and North African (MENA), South Asian, East Asian, and Latin American individuals, as well as across the regions of the U.S. (e.g., Southern vs. Northern states). Her most recent work focuses on cultural differences in first impressions, particularly, spontaneous inferences from others’ behaviors, and the role of cultural values and experiences in substance use.