Myles Durkee, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, has been  named the next James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar by the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR).

Dr. Durkee is a PRBA affiliate whose research examines the dynamics of code-switching, cultural invalidations, and racial discrimination to determine how these experiences influence important psychosocial outcomes such as mental health, identity development, and academic achievement. 

“Dr. Myles Durkee is a very productive junior faculty member.  In addition to developing an exciting program of research, Dr. Durkee has established a lab on code switching and related phenomena that provides ongoing mentoring and research opportunities for graduate students,” said Dr. Robert Joseph Taylor, Director of PRBA.

Dr. Durkee’s program of research examines how people of color navigate racial contexts, modify their racial behavior to fit into certain contexts, and internalize messages about their cultural authenticity from individuals inside and outside of their racial group. 

Dr. Durkee has defined “code switching” as the process of adjusting one’s behavior, style of speech, appearance, and self-presentation to accommodate others – a process that nearly all humans engage in across varying contexts. But the pressure to code-switch is distributed unequally, says Dr. Durkee. Marginalized or stigmatized people bear the stress of pressure to mask aspects of their identities, or face bias and discrimination.

His research has investigated these social dynamics in professional, academic, and clinical environments, and his insights on improving them have been featured in publicly facing outlets such as the Ann Arbor District Library, the Pre-Occupied podcast, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and USA Today. 

Dr. Durkee will present his work on code-switching at ISR on Nov. 25 as part of the Research Center for Group Dynamics fall seminar series on the Social Psychology of Systemic Racism.

The James S. Jackson Emerging Scholars Award was established to extend the mentoring efforts of PRBA by providing support for rising University of Michigan research scientists. The endowment honors former RCGD and ISR director James S. Jackson, the pioneering social psychologist known for his research on race and ethnicity, racism, and health and aging among Black Americans. The award is designed to support emerging scholars who are often at an especially creative and productive yet fragile career stage.

“It is a tremendous honor to be selected for this recognition and to carry on the profound legacy of Dr. James S. Jackson. Words cannot describe the astounding impact Dr. Jackson has had on the careers of so many successful scholars and I was extremely fortunate to be able to collaborate with him when I first arrived at the University of Michigan,” said Dr. Durkee. “I am deeply inspired by this award to continue my work examining the racialized experiences of Black Americans because I hope to honor the ancestors and elders who have made so many sacrifices for us to be here today.”

Dr. Durkee’s previous awards include the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR) Scientist Fellowship (2023-24), PRBA’s Early Career Excellence Award (2023), and the Faculty Diversity Research Award from the University of Michigan (2020). His code-switching research has been supported by a MCUAAAR pilot gant, the ADVANCE Faculty Fellows Award, and an OVPR-NCID anti-racism grant.

Dr. Durkee received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology: Applied Developmental Science from the University of Virginia. He also completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan. 

He is a diversity scholar at the National Center for Institutional Diversity aimed at creating a more equitable and inclusive society, and a grant reviewer for the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Durkee is the third recipient of the James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar Award, following Mosi Ifatunji and Katrina Ellis. 

The Program for Research on Black Americans is recognized for surveys and methods foundational to the field of social research on Black Americans, and for its legacy of mentorship to its leading scholars. PRBA is housed by the Research Center for Group Dynamics (RCGD) at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, advancing the understanding of human behavior in social contexts.

Contact: Tevah Platt, [email protected]