Wiley wins 2025 UNCG Research Mentor award – Pre-tenure Category

Assistant Professor Robert Wiley has received the 2025 UNCG Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in the pre-tenure category. The psychologist, who examines the cognition of reading and writing, has mentored 35 undergraduate students in his Cognitive and Neural Science of Learning (CNSL) lab since he arrived at UNCG in 2019, through the PSY433 Research Experience course.

Wiley is one of three Thomas awardees this year. Dr. Jaclyn Maher and Kimberly Cuny were honored in the tenure and professional categories.

“Mentoring undergraduate students is one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. My approach to mentorship is rooted in the principles of student-centered learning, a growth mindset, and fostering critical thinking. These values guide my efforts to provide undergraduates with meaningful research experiences that not only advance their skills but also encourage lifelong learning and professional growth.”

– Dr. Robert Wiley

Wiley involves his undergraduate mentees in all aspects of the research process, including lab equipment use and data collection. With his training, 15 UNCG undergraduate students have achieved Operator Level 1 certifications on the MRI at UNCG’s Gateway facility.

Wiley has also supervised three independent studies and two Honors projects. One of his students is first author on a publication in Bilingualism: Language and Cognition and two have co-authored manuscripts currently under review. One of his mentees has won an Undergraduate Research and Creativity Award and two are UNCG-McNair Scholars.

“I am still in awe of Dr. Wiley’s pedagogical approach because it relies heavily on real-time monitoring of each student’s mastery to scaffold learning appropriately,” said Portia Washington ‘21, who was one of those who nominated Wiley for the award. “To be an engaging professor is one thing, but to make sure that every student in your 400-level class understands the career opportunities and real-world application of the material is admirable.”

Wiley also received the University Teaching and Learning Commons 2024 James Y. Joyner Award for Teaching Excellence and the 2023 College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Award.

“I attribute my career trajectory to the skills I acquired at UNCG under the mentorship of Dr. Wiley. I started my academic journey as a first-generation student, and I experienced more grief, hardship, and displacement than many other undergraduate students. It truly speaks to the testament of Dr. Wiley’s mentorship that I not only completed my undergraduate degree but am also currently pursuing a career as a professor at an R1 institution.”

– Honors scholar Portia Washington ‘21, now a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut

“The summer after I graduated, I collaborated with Dr. Wiley, one of his graduate students, and another undergraduate on a paper that is currently under review. Dr. Wiley’s mentoring style equipped me with the tools I needed to approach such a challenge as he places significant emphasis on his students’ conceptualization of research methodology.”

– Brendan Banyai ‘24

Story by Nikkola Brown
Photos by Sean Norona

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