People

DIRECTORS

Phillip Ackerman

Professor of Psychology

Ph.D. (1984)
Quantitative/Measurement Psychology
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

My research spans several related research areas of differential, educational, cognitive, applied experimental, and industrial and organizational psychology.

Ruth Kanfer

Professor of Psychology

Ph.D.
Clinical Psychology
Arizona State University

My research examines the role of motivation, personality, emotion, and self-regulation in training, performance, and work transitions across the lifespan.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Sibley Lyndgaard

Before joining the PARK Lab as a doctoral student in I/O Psychology, I graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Psychology. My primary research interests include 21st century adult learning (especially in online contexts), educational technology, and the dynamics of motivation and self-regulated learning. Throughout graduate school, I have held research positions in industry with projects spanning assessment, training, organizational culture, and the future of work.

Becca Storey

I graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a concentration in Management Studies from St. Olaf College in 2019 before coming to Georgia Tech. As a fourth year doctoral student in the PARK lab, my primary research interests include adult learning, aging, and work design. My industry experience so far has been in people analytics. 

Spencer Garcia

I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology at Brigham Young University – Idaho in 2019 before coming to Georgia Tech. As a fourth year doctoral student in the PARK lab, my primary research interests include decent and meaningful work and employee well-being. Prior to beginning graduate school I worked in pharmaceutical research conducting clinical human factors trials. 

Jenny Erickson

I graduated from Texas A&M University in May 2020 with a B.S. in Psychology before joining the GT PARK Lab as an I/O Psychology graduate student. My current research interests include 21st century workspace design (home and office) as well as employee wellbeing and lifelong learning. I have also completed internships focused on workplace redesign, remote work, and employee development research.

Lucas Provine

I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from the University of Central Missouri before attending Georgia Tech to pursue I/O Psychology as a graduate student. I joined the PARK Lab in Fall 2020. My primary research interests include the practical application of motivational theories in the workplace and the future of work regarding Human-Robot and Human-AI Interaction.

Kern Qi

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Davidson College, North Carolina, before attending Georgia Tech’s I/O Psychology program as a graduate student. As a 2nd-year graduate student in the I/O Psychology department of GT, I am interested in exploring aging and adult learning in the workplace setting. Over the past two years, I am involved in a project that examines the lasting impact of an online master’s program, and a project that seeks to examine the impact of remote learning on procedural skill learning.

RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Armor Cao

RA

I’m Armor Cao, currently a junior at Emory University, where I am pursuing a double major in Psychology and Quantitative Sciences. My primary areas of interest within psychology are social psychology and I/O psychology. Upon graduation, I aspire to continue my education by pursuing a master’s degree in Business. My goal is to apply the knowledge and skills I’ve gained in psychology to make a meaningful impact in the workplace.

    Utkarsh Nattamai Subramanian Rajkumar

    GRA

    Hello my name is Utkarsh NSR. I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Computer Science with a specialization in Machine Learning at Georgia Tech. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech in Fall 2022. Previously, I have worked as a software engineer intern at both NCR Corporation and ADP and as a research assistant at Georgia Tech. After graduation, I plan on working as a software engineer or data scientist. 

      Yusra Khan

      RA

      I’m currently a senior at Georgia Tech pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. My primary interests include the medical field and marketing. After graduation, I intend to use the skills and experience I gain as a research assistant to become more equipped to pursue a master’s degree in Speech Pathology. 

        Andy Waisser

        RA

        Hi, my name is Andy. I am currently a junior at Emory University, majoring in Psychology and Political Science. I’m especially interested in child development and cognition. I hope to apply my undergraduate and RA experiences as I apply for a master’s degree in psychology and work as a therapist.

          Annie He

          RA

          I’m currently a junior at Emory University, majoring in Psychology and Economics. My interests lie in Human-Computer Interaction, Brain Imaging, and Nonverbal Communication. I’m eager to learn more about research design, working with participants, and managing data. In the future, I aspire to work in the interactive field of psychology and AI, leveraging technology to create the best human experiences.

            Katie Cowart

            RA

            I’m currently working in product operations for lululemon. I graduated in May 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Business Administration. My primary area of interest is I/O Psychology. I plan to apply my experience as an undergraduate and a research assistant to pursue a graduate degree.