Dr. Zane Zheng is a Professor of Psychology and Chair of Academic Research at Lasell University. He also serves as the Research Director at Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. He earned his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Queen’s University, Canada, under the mentorship of Ingrid Johnsrude and Kevin Munhall. Since 2013, he has also been a Visiting Research Scientist at Brandeis University, collaborating with Art Wingfield.
Dr. Zheng’s research explores the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying speech perception and self-awareness, with a particular focus on how social media and aging influence these processes. Additionally, he is deeply committed to advancing evidence-based teaching strategies that promote student engagement and deep learning. His work has been consistently recognized through grants and awards from esteemed organizations, including APA, APS, STP, SPSSI, NSF, and Psi Chi.
Beyond his research and teaching, Dr. Zheng plays an active role in the academic community at Lasell University. He chairs the Research Ethics Committee, serves as the Faculty Leader for the Psychology Club, and holds multiple leadership roles within Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, he was honored with the 2022-23 Florence L. Denmark Faculty Advisor Award—Psi Chi’s highest faculty distinction.
News
01/2025 - Professor Zheng has been awarded a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology: Developing and assessing the PERFECT model to reduce ageism.
07/2024 - Professor Zheng has been awarded a Teaching Development Grant from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues: Advancing the Psychological Study of Diversity: Building Community with a Brown Bag Research Series.
05/2024 - Professor Zheng has been awarded the APS Fund for Teaching and Public Understanding of Psychological Science: TREND: Teaching Research Excellence with NICE Deployment.
05/2024 - Our lab member, Ray Karaczun, has received the Social Science Departmental Award for Distinction in Research. Congrats!
05/2024 - Professor Zheng has received a Connected Learning Fund from Lasell University.
10/2023 - Professor Zheng has been awarded a Faculty Research Grant from Psi Chi to support his ongoing research with students.
09/2023 - Professor Zheng is a Co-PI on a National Science Foundation grant (Award # 2328235): Using a Novel Cross-cultural Platform to Train Social and Behavioral Sciences Undergraduates as Emerging Leaders in Best Research Practices.
08/2023 - Professor Zheng is the recipient of the 2022-23 Florence L. Denmark Faculty Advisor Award from Psi Chi. This international award is the highest honor Psi Chi bestows on an advisor.
03/2023 - Professor Zheng has been awarded an APA Board of Educational Affairs Grant to organize a conference on teaching research ("Teaching Research Excellence: Education, Strategies, & Practices").
Conference program: www.lasell.edu/researchexcellence
10/2022 - Psi Chi Lasell Chapter has been awarded a Chapter Activity Grant to organize a community event ("Stress Strategies") for helping students manage their stress with the power of psychology.
08/2022 - Psi Chi Lasell Chapter has received a Model Chapter Award from Psi Chi, being one of the 28 chapters out of all 1,150 chapters to achieve the Model Chapter status this year.
07/2022 - Professor Zheng is a recipient of the 2021-22 Unrestricted Faculty Travel Grants from Psi Chi.
07/2022 - Professor Zheng is a recipient of the 2022 APA Committee on Early Career Psychologists/National Register of Health Service Psychologists Convention Travel Grant.
06/2022 - Professor Zheng is a recipient of the Action Teaching Grant from Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues , for his project titled "Exploring a PERFECT model to reduce ageism".
03/2022 - Professor Zheng is a recipient of the Instructional Resource Grant from APA Division 2 Society for the Teaching of Psychology, for his project titled "A Relevance-centered Instructional Framework Based on a Four-phase Model of Interest Development in Learning".
03/2022 - Professor Zheng has been awarded a Packard Grant to conduct a research project on the sense of body ownership.
12/2021 - Professor Zheng has been awarded a Provost Grant In Time to continue his research on the link between social media and psychological well-being.
12/2020 - Professor Zheng is a recipient of an APA CABE Teaching Resources Award for his proposal titled "An adaptive and student-centered teaching framework for Neuroscience courses based on real-life relevance".
10/2020 - Psi Chi Lasell Chapter, of which Professor Zheng is the Faculty Advisor, has been awarded a Psi Chi Model Chapter Award.
08/2020 - Professor Zheng was invited to speak to Lasell Village residents about age-related cognitive changes @Lasell Morning Show.
05/2020 - Our lab members, Skye Bouffard & Deanna Giglio have received the Social Science Departmental Award for Distinction in Research. Congrats!
08/2019 - Professor Zheng was the invited speaker for the Lasell Presidential Speaker Series on December 12, 2019.
08/2019- Professor Zheng has received an APA Early Career Achievement Award.
05/2019 - Professor Zheng has joined Psi Chi's NICE (Network for International Collaborative Exchange) committee and Psi Chi's Evaluator Team.
09/2018 - Professor Zheng has received a Teacher/Scholar Travel Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) to present his research at the 2019 Annual Convention.
04/2018 - Our lab member, Chavelyn Santana, has received the Social Science Departmental Award for Distinction in Research. Congrats!
05/2017 - Professor Zheng has received an APA International Conference Award to present his research in Sweden this summer.
05/2017 - Our lab member, Samira Fahey, has received the Social Science Departmental Award for Distinction in Research. Congrats!
04/2017 - Our lab member, Lauren Hill, was accepted into the Masters program in Psychology at SUNY Stony Brook, her hometown school. Congrats!
02/2017 - Our lab member, Samira Fahey, was accepted into the graduate program in Mental Health Counseling at Boston College. Congrats!
01/2017 - Our lab alum, Madelyn Torres, was accepted into the MSW/MPH dual graduate program at Boston University. Congrats!
12/2016 - Professor Zheng has received an Early Career Travel Grant by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.
12/2016 - Professor Zheng discusses his Cognition and Aging Lab on Leaves. See the article here.
11/2016 - Samira Fahey presented her poster at 2016 Psychonomic Society Meeting! See some photos here.
09/2016 - Brianna Gillette and Olivia Sroka have joined the lab as Lab Manager and Research Assistant respectively. Welcome!
07/2016 - Our lab alum, Mad Torres, is now the Lab Manager at USF, after working as Research Assistant at both UC Berkeley and UCSF. Congrats!
07/2016 - Professor Zheng was invited to share his views on the field of Neuropsychology at CareersInPsychology.org (See full interview here)
05/2016 - Our lab members, Lyndsey, Christine and Jackie presented their posters at APS conference and had great fun in Chicago! See some photos here.
04/2016 - Professor Zheng has received a Packard grant to continue his research on self-consciousness.
09/2015 - Professor Zheng has started his 2nd term as the Faculty Fellow at Fuss Center for Aging.
05/2015 - Our lab member, Beatrice, has received the 2nd poster award at Massachusetts Gerontology Association Annual Convention. Congrats!
10/2014 - Professor Zheng's research on voice perception was featured in the Belgian newspaper De Standaard (see the article here).
05/2014 - Professor Zheng has received a Packard grant to study body perception and awareness.