Academic and Non-Academic Jobs for Social-Personality Psychologists
Abstracts
Social and personality psychologists in the nonprofit sector
Conor Seyle, Ph.D.
Deputy Director of Research and Development, One Earth Future Foundation
Over the past 15 to 20 years, there has been a significant shift in the orientation of the nonprofit
sector towards research. As funders have increasingly begun to demand that the work of NGOs
be based in research and backed up by best practices in assessment, there has been an increase in
demand for PhD-trained researchers in the nonprofit sector. Because of this shift, NGOs in
general and research-focused NGOs in particular represent a developing opportunity for PhD
social and personality psychologists interested in both applied and basic research. This talk will
provide an overview of the kind of work social and personality psychologists can do in the
nonprofit sector with a particular focus on research-focused foundations and think-tanks. It will
also provide a brief introduction to the nonprofit sector and what it’s like to work in this area.
WTF is UX research and why would a social psychologist want to do it?
Erin Burgoon
Facebook
Google the term UX or UEX or User Experience and you will get a wide variety of definitions,
many of which may seem like a far-cry from the rigor of experimental social psychology.
However, look at the job descriptions for UX Research at Facebook and you may find yourself in
more familiar territory. At Facebook, we use social scientific methods, theories, and ideas to
understand and improve the experiences of the 1.4 billion people who use Facebook globally.
My talk will give a broad overview of different UX research positions at Facebook, my particular
role within the company, ways social psychology informs product decisions, and personal /
professional considerations such as work / life balance and career trajectories.
What would you say you do here? A social psychologist goes to the corporate world
Cindy K. Chung
Intel Corporation
As a Social Psychologist working in the corporate world, I am often asked: What are you doing
with your life? What do you wish you had known? What happens to your identity and social
network and scientist values? How does the corporate world work? How do you work? Do you
regret not going into academia? Will you ever go back to academia? Will you eventually start
your own business? How do others prepare for an industry position? If you have ever wondered
what it might be like to make the transition from academia to the corporate world, please join me
at the GSC preconference. I share what I have figured out so far about meaningful job design,
and what I would like you to know about the impact that Social Psychologists can have in the
corporate world and beyond.
Trailblazing is hard work
Shantal Marshall
Nevada State College
Many of our teaching experiences have been teaching students with clear goals: to get a good
job, to go on to graduate school, or to become leaders and change the world. But what happens
when you teach students who aren't sure why they’re in college? At Nevada State College many
students have not thought about college until they walk through our front doors – more than half
are first-generation college students – and most come from a K-12 school system that leaves
them ill-prepared for college-level work. I will discuss my own hard-learned lesson on teaching
students who need to be motivated and taught how to learn very differently from what I term
“professional students.” More importantly, I will discuss how gratifying it is to be part of a
school that is actively alleviating the lack of access many of our students have historically had to
higher education.
Why choose a career at a research university?
Freedom to think; ask big questions; and make a difference
Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Looking in from the outside it might seem as if those of us in academic careers at research
universities always knew our career path. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ll tell you the
brief story about how I got into a research career after considering dropping out of graduate
school and entertaining alternate career paths. I’ll describe how the act of doing research over the
course of graduate school convinced me this was the right career path; the people who played
important roles; the persistence and patience it took; and why it is totally worth it. We’ll talk
about balancing research, teaching, service, making a difference, and having a personal life. The
bottom line is that there is no one pathway to a career in academic science at a research
university—there are multiple pathways. The common thread is intrinsic motivation, loving
independent research and mentoring, and a resilience.
Academic careers at terminal Master’s programs
Debbie Ma
California State University Northridge
In this talk I will focus on academic careers at terminal Master’s programs. I will describe the
research, teaching, and service requirements associated with working at a Master’s granting
institution. Next, some attention will be paid to the “pros” and “cons” of this kind of academic
appointment. I will also provide suggestions for how to work within the parameters of this type
of department. The talk will conclude with information about how to create a competitive CV for
a professorship in a terminal Master’s degree and how to best prepare for the interview.