William L. Dunlop

William (Will) L. Dunlop, Associate Professor of Psychology at UC Riverside (UCR), ended his life on September 3, 2021. Born in Ontario, Canada, on May 20, 1985 to Catherine and Robert Dunlop, Dr. Dunlop grew up in London, Ontario. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Western Ontario, and then went on to complete doctoral study at the University of British Columbia, finishing his PhD in Psychology in 2013. He joined the faculty of the Department of Psychology at UCR as an Assistant Professor in the personality psychology specialization that same year, advancing to the rank of Associate Professor in 2019.

Dr. Dunlop’s research focused on the way people use narratives to create their own life stories in which to situate their identities, and he was a leading figure among those using narrative approaches to understand personality. He identified the “redemptive sequence” in persons’ life stories, a thematic element where a negative event is seen as the starting point for growth, development, and an eventual positive outcome. Professor Dunlop was also interested in how narrative identities changed over time, and in exploring the nature of volitional personality change—the conscious effort to change personal attributes. He was author or co-author of over 75 journal articles and book chapters, and was working on a co-authored textbook on personality psychology at the time of his passing. In 2017, he was recognized as a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science. At the time of his passing, Dr. Dunlop was on sabbatical from UCR and serving as Honorary Professor of Psychology at Aarhus University, Denmark, so that he and his wife could be together following the birth of their first child.

At UCR, Dr. Dunlop regularly taught undergraduate and graduate courses on personality psychology, self and identity, and narrative. He was a mentor to graduate and undergraduate students, especially those involved in his Personality and Identity Lab.

Dr. Dunlop was an avid surfer who lived near the Pacific Ocean during his time at UCR so that he could surf regularly. He also enjoyed playing guitar; during his college and graduate school years, he played bass guitar with a band.

Dr. Dunlop is survived by his wife, Majse Lind, their son Felix, his parents Catherine and Robert, and his brother, Trevor.

Written by Katja M. Guenther with the description of research interests adapted from an announcement by UCR’s Department of Psychology.