Taylor Newton

• Ph.D., M.A., Social Psychology and Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Denver
• B.A., Psychology, Religious Studies, Tulane University

Taylor Newton is a professor of psychology. She joined Lenoir-Rhyne in 2016, following her appointment at Central College. In the classroom, Newton most enjoys teaching research methods classes in addition to social psychology, evolutionary psychology, statistics and special topics courses such as the psychology of religion. In addition, she regularly brings groups of students to conferences to present their original research.

Her research has focused on the interrelationship of religious identities and beliefs, moral behavior and perceptions of the relationship between science and religion. She has been awarded fellowships and grants to support her research and advocacy, including work with academics and government officials to identify ways to apply insights from behavioral science to further public health goals and combat misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. She received the Faculty Scholar Award in 2023 in recognition of these efforts.

In 2022, she became an Academic Affiliate of the Center for Utilizing Behavioral Insights for Children (CUBIC), a research arm of Save the Children International. In this role, she is part of a team that works to develop and rigorously test interventions to advance the well-being of children around the world. In particular, she has worked extensively on projects aimed at reducing hazardous child labor on cocoa farms in Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire. In 2025, she began offering impact evaluation advising and training for changemakers supported by the Z Zurich Foundation.