About
April Bleske-Rechek is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire whose research focuses on evolutionary psychology, individual differences, personality, and scientific reasoning. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, followed by postdoctoral research at Vanderbilt University.
At UW–Eau Claire, Dr. Bleske-Rechek directs the Individual Differences and Evolutionary Psychology (IDEP) Lab, where she collaborates closely with undergraduate students on research exploring human mating, friendship, cognitive abilities, personality, and public understanding of science. Her work with students has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including Human Nature, Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, Personality and Individual Differences, and Intelligence.
Dr. Bleske-Rechek is widely recognized for her dedication to undergraduate research mentoring. Her students regularly present their work at national conferences and frequently coauthor scholarly publications. She has received multiple awards for both teaching and mentoring, including UW–Eau Claire’s Excellence in Teaching Award, the Excellence in Mentoring in Research Award, and the Council on Undergraduate Research Mid-Career Mentoring Award. She is also an active participant in conversations about scientific inquiry, open dialogue, and viewpoint diversity in higher education.
Featured Research and Writing
- The pursuit of equity and excellence: Advanced Placement participation and performance by sex and by race/ethnicity, 1996–2022 (Intelligence, 2025)
- Women and men, harm and censoriousness: Sex-differentiated reactions to information about sex differences (Journal of Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences, 2024)
- Promoting students’ engagement in civil dialogue: A pilot study and randomized controlled trial (2024 report)
- View the full publications archive
Teaching
Dr. Bleske-Rechek teaches courses in research methods, personality, advanced statistical methods, individual differences and behavior genetics, evolutionary psychology, and senior capstone work in psychology. Her teaching emphasizes scientific and statistical reasoning, intellectual curiosity, and open discussion of big questions in psychology.
Research
Her research and mentoring work center on individual and group differences in cognition, personality, relationships, and scientific reasoning. She has mentored dozens of undergraduate researchers through the IDEP Lab, with students regularly presenting at local, regional, and national conferences.
Media and Public Scholarship
In addition to her scholarly publications, Dr. Bleske-Rechek contributes to broader conversations about higher education, scientific inquiry, merit, open debate, and viewpoint diversity.