Sahlin Eminent Faculty Award

The university’s highest faculty honor

The Sahlin Eminent Faculty Award recognizes a scholar who has changed the thinking in his or her field through teaching, research, creative scholarship, and service. Each recipient has contributed notably to the vitality and strength of the Washington State University community for more than a decade.

Maria (Masha) Gartstein

Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology

Maria (Masha) Gartstein serves as the current chair of the Department of Psychology, with over 20 years of experience at WSU. She is responsible for the smooth operation of undergraduate psychology programs with more than 1,500 degree-seeking students, as well as graduate programs in experimental and clinical psychology. She supervises students from multiple WSU campuses, while providing guidance for faculty across diverse areas of psychology.  A world-renowned expert in developmental psychology, she is instrumental in maintaining and strengthening not just her department, but WSU as a whole.

Gartstein’s research and expertise focus on how personality develops and the underlying changes in brain activity.  Her work has advanced the scientific understanding of how humans develop in their first year of life, while also demonstrating how to support life-long emotional development. Her work is highly respected in the world of developmental psychology, and her service on 30 committees in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and biosciences, exemplifies her commitment to both her field and the university.