Major: Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience
Class Year: 2026
High School: Round Rock High School
Advisors: Dr. Joshua Hicks; Dr. Annmarie MacNamara; Dr. Glen Miller
URS Thesis Title: Giving Nature Its Flowers: The Importance of Nature Connectedness to the Experience of Meaning in Life; Rolling the Dice or Earning your Stripes: The Effect of Perceived Control on RewP Source Localization in Gambling vs. Skill-Based Reward Tasks
Research Focus: Social Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Affective Neuroscience, Ethics of AI
Other Projects and Publications:
Publications
Arthur, K. M., Needy, L., Peace, M. G., Moser, S., & Rodriquez, N. (revise and resubmit). Examining self-perceptions between college student vape users and non-vape users: An online cross-sectional study. Journal of Health Psychology.
Needy, L., Peace, M. G., Gause, C., Orska, S., & Hicks, J. A., (in prep). Finding value in nature: Connectedness to nature and the experience of meaning in life.
Grants
“From the Outside Looking In the Mirror: Does Ostracism Moderate the Relationship Between Self-Alienation and Authenticity?.” PSI CHI: Undergraduate Research Grants.
Book Chapters
Needy, L., Peace, M. G., Broussard, E., Steele, T., & Hicks, J. A. (under contract). The experience of meaning in life. In D. S. Dunn (Ed.), Positive psychology: Established and emerging issues (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Book Reviews
Peace, M. G. (under review). Individual or Instrument? AI’s Current Place in the Art and Intellectual Property Worlds. Ethics and Politics of Science, Technology, and Engineering: A collection edited and curated by Glen Miller.
Organizations and Programs: Undergraduate Research Scholars, Undergraduate Research Ambassadors, Psychological & Brain Sciences Teaching Scholars, Psychological & Brain Sciences Honors, Existential Psychology Collaboratory, Multimethod Affect and Cognition Lab, Honors Student Council
Awards and Distinctions: Undergraduate Research Scholar, Jack Nation Undergraduate Research Excellence Award, Phi Kappa Phi Pioneer Award, Student Research Week First Place Oral Presentation in Social Sciences and Human Development, Gathright Dean’s Excellence Award Freshman Honorable Mention
Experience: Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, Student Research Week, Poster and Oral Presentations, Grant Writing and Applications, Research Conferences, Data Analysis (Jamovi, R, SPSS), Qualtrics, BrainVision Software
Years Experience: 4
Other Activities: Texas A&M University Club Gymnastics Team, College Application Consulting, Reading, Lifting, Running
Bio: Hi! My name is Morgan Peace, and I’m a senior majoring in Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience within the Psychological & Brain Sciences Department. Since my freshman year, I’ve been actively involved in research on campus, and as I approach graduation, I’m preparing to apply to Ph.D. programs in social neuroscience. My long-term goal is to become a university professor and researcher in this field.
Throughout my time at Texas A&M, I’ve gained research experience and awards across several labs investigating psychological and brain science. In the Existential Psychology Collaboratory under Dr. Joshua Hicks, I’ve served as a research assistant, team leader, and recruitment coordinator. Our work explores meaning in life and its psychological antecedents and outcomes. Here, I’ve co-authored manuscripts and book chapters, completed an Undergraduate Research Scholars project, presented at Texas A&M’s Student Research Week and an international conference, and won a grant for an independent study on the effects of ostracism. I’ve also worked in the Multimethod Affect and Cognition Lab under Dr. Annmarie MacNamara, where we examine emotion and behavior in psychiatric contexts using psychophysiological methods. This role has deepened my understanding of brain data collection and analysis, as well as the broader landscape of neuroscientific literature. I am currently conducting a thesis on how perceived control over outcomes impacts reward processing.
Outside of the Psychological & Brain Sciences Department, I’ve collaborated with Dr. Glen Miller in the Philosophy Department on the ethics of generative AI in creative domains, comparing generative AI architecture with biological brains and nervous systems.
Outside of research, I maintain a 4.0 GPA and serve as a teaching assistant, mentoring peers in neuroscience and psychology coursework. These roles have strengthened my ability to communicate complex ideas and support others in their academic growth.