Diego Guevara Beltran

PhD Granting Institution: Arizona State University 

Department: Psychology 

College: College of Science 

Mentor: Jessica Andrews-Hannah, Ph.D. David Sbarra, Ph.D.  

Research Proposal: Interdependence Building Mechanisms: The role of Empathy and Social Support 

Diego Guevara Beltran is a Ph.D. candidate at Arizona State University studying Social Psychology. During his graduate studies, Diego collaborated on 12 peer-reviewed publications with an additional 4 first-author manuscripts currently in review. Diego was a recipient of Arizona State University’s Graduate College Fellowship and earned numerous awards, including the Department of Psychology Outstanding Writing Award. 

Diego moved from Mexico to the United States when he was 14 years old. In fact, Diego attributes his passion for studying empathy, cooperation, and social integration to the loss of social integration he experienced during his move to the United States.

During his fellowship, Diego will seek to address a gap in our knowledge regarding how people respond to adversity when dyads are subjected to the same experience. His study will make use of highly ecologically valid dyadic approaches to investigate affective and empathetic responses to experiences of social rejection. This data could illuminate how interdependence shapes empathic responses, and whether mutual support builds interdependence and facilitates wellbeing over time. In a parallel study geared towards first-generation and low-income students at The University of Arizona, results could be leveraged to improve wellbeing and retention among high-risk students.

In their letter of support, co-mentors Dr. Jessica Andrews-Hanna, Associate Professor of Psychology, and Dr. David Sbarra, Professor of Psychology, shared “There are myriad reasons why we believe Diego is an excellent candidate for the President’s Postdoc Program. First, Diego is a brilliant scientist with a demonstrated and strong publication record who will bring to our department a unique perspective on social cognition and human behavior. Diego trained as an undergraduate in Anthropology at the University of New Mexico and as a graduate student in Psychology at Arizona State University. His approach to research blends these two fields, integrating major evolutionary theories of life history and fitness interdependence to explain social behaviors such as cooperation and competition.”