People

Malissa A. Clark, Ph.D.

Visit Malissa Clark's Research Gate page for full-text copies of many of her publications.

Hello, my name is Malissa Clark, and I am an Associate Professor of Industrial/Organizational Psychology. I have been at the University of Georgia since 2013. I earned my B.A. at the University of Michigan in 2002, and my Ph.D. at Wayne State University in 2010. Broadly, my program of research focuses on employee well-being and the intersection of work and family domains. Within that broad area, I have research streams loosely following three main areas: 1) work-family conflict, 2) workaholism, and 3) emotions at work and home. My research in work-family has focused on dynamic processes in the work and family domains and effects on employee well-being, and how organizations and individuals can reduce negative effects of stressors. In my workaholism research, I am interested in what it means to be a workaholic and how workaholism affects the workaholic and one’s family. Lastly, I am interested in studying emotional experiences of workers, both at work and at home, and the effects of positive and negative emotions on well-being outcomes. Outside of research, I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family.

Nick Haynes- Lab Manager

Hi, I'm Nick. I'm a fourth year PhD candidate in the I-O Psychology program at UGA. My research interests include positive and negative forms of hard work (e.g., work passion, workaholism), organizational culture and climate, and employee health and well-being. I also love learning and applying new research methods to projects I'm on. A research accomplishment I'm most proud of is being selected for this year's George C. Thurstone, III scholarship from SIOP. Winning this scholarship means a lot to me not only because it is from my "home" professional association, but because it validates my goal to balance good science with evidence-based practice. A fun fact about me is that I've recently gotten into woodworking, saving money and building my skills by making some of our furniture. A bonus fun fact related to saving money is that I have been referred to as a "finance wizard" by friends for my ability to combine several sources together to get really, really good deals!

Rebecca Cole - Assistant Lab Manager

My name is Rebecca, and I am originally from Mobile, AL. I attended Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, where I studied Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies. Since graduating, I have done a year of service through the Episcopal Service Corps and worked in the Youth Development Lab at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I am currently a second-year graduate student, and my research interests include workaholism and burnout, especially in underrepresented groups and nonprofit settings.

ADDITIONAL GRADUATE STUDENTS

Katelyn Sanders

My name is Katelyn Sanders and I am a current PhD student at UGA. I received my Bachelor’s from UGA in 2016 and have been a member of the WAFER Lab since my sophomore year of college. Broadly speaking, my research interests focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace and experiences of minorities at work. Additionally, I am interested in the work-family interface and how organizations can better support employees’ needs to balance these two domains. I’m really proud that during my time as a PhD student, I have received the Richard L. Marsh mentoring award as well as the Dan Mack Memorial Award. My go-to fun fact is that I’m one of six kids!

Angela Beiler

I’m originally from Arizona, and received my B. S. in psychology at Arizona State University in 2011 before going on to receive my Master’s of Science from Auburn University in 2013. I moved to the University of Georgia this to finish out my PhD with Malissa Clark. Current research interests include workaholism and the differential experiences of male and female workaholics, as well as the unique work-family experiences of female employees. Additional research interests include the influence of mood on employee performance and employee multitasking.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

William Allen

Hey everyone, my name is William Allen. I am a fourth year student with some research interests in workaholism and neuroscience. One accomplishment I’m very proud of is being first author on a poster presentation with the WAFER lab and being able to present our work at the University of Alabama. A fun fact about me is that I have pet a tortoise over 100 years old!

Erika Abbruzzese

Hi all, my name is Erika Abbruzzese, and I am a 3rd year undergraduate student. Generally speaking, my research interests include children’s mental health and how the family dynamic affects them. So far during my college experience, I am most proud of my constant involvement in UGA HEROs, and recently receiving a position on the board as the Director of Events for the organization. A fun fact about me is that I was a competitive gymnast for most of my life and I can do cool flips!

Alexandra Sanders

Hello! My name is Alexandra (Alex) Sanders! I am a volunteer in the lab since my graduation in December of 2020. After a brief gap year, I plan on attending graduate school to obtain a PhD in I/O Psychology with a focus on Diversity and Inclusivity in the Workplace. Since I plan on starting graduate school in August of 2022, I plan on working in my current job as an Operations Administrator for FedEx Ground until then. Outside of work and volunteering I enjoy spending my time reading, hiking, and playing strategy games.

Hannah Stockdale

Hi, I am a junior at the University of Georgia, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Human Services. I intend to graduate in the Spring of 2021. After graduation, I plan to pursue a graduate degree in industrial-organizational psychology. I am interested industrial-organizational psychology - specifically how to develop and maintain positivity and efficiency in the workplace. Additionally, I am passionate about prison reform, and would love to be able to incorporate I/O psychology into improving conditions for both employees and inmates.

Anshu Garg

Hi, my name is Anshu Garg. I am a third year psychology major with an emphasis in neuroscience and public health minor. I grew up in Milton, Georgia and have loved my undergraduate years at UGA thus far! I intend to complete two certifications, in legal studies and healthy disparity & equity, by the time I graduate as well. After graduation I hope to attend law school, where I can apply all that I have learned from I/O psychology, legal business and healthy policy and management. Outside of school, I love to play the guitar, travel and immerse myself in new cultures, and exercise in spin class!

Alexandra Cohen

Hi! My name is Allie Cohen and I'm from Kennesaw, Georgia. I'm a fourth year Psychology student here at UGA minoring in Human Development and Family Sciences. After graduation, I plan on attending graduate school and pursuing a PhD in Developmental Psychology. My main interest in I/O Psychology is work-family conflict, particularly how family relations are affected by workaholism. I am so excited to be apart of the WAFER Lab and learn even more about I/O Psychology!

Deeya Patel

Hello! My name is Deeya Patel and I am a third-year student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Spanish and Cognitive Science. My research interests include school psychology and IO psychology- specifically how to create and maintain a positive work environment, as well as promoting inclusivity and diversity within the work field. My proudest accomplishment would be joining The Rett lab with Dr. Bhattacharya last semester, and now the WAFER lab! A fun fact about me is that I am on an A cappella team here at UGA called Kalakaar!

Jackie Kimball

Hello, my name is Jackie Kimball, and I am a senior at UGA. I am a psychology major with a women's studies and human services minor. I am also interested in research regarding mental health. I am proud that I am a tour guide at the UGA Visitors Center because I get to help potential new students feel welcomed and start to imagine their life at college. A fun fact about me is that I have traveled to 11 countries!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Former Undergraduate RAs have gone on to:

• I/O Ph.D. program at University of Houston (Olivia Childers, 2012 graduate)

• I/O Ph.D. program at Wayne State University (Daniel Krenn, 2012 graduate)

• I/O M.A. program at Middle Tennessee State University (Kallie Revels, 2013 graduate)

• I/O M.S. program at University of Tennessee Chattanooga (Christopher Morgan, 2014 graduate)

• I/O Ph.D. program at University of South Florida (Ben Listyg, 2016 graduate)

• Organizational Behavior Ph.D. program at University of Central Florida (Lauren Locklear, 2016 graduate)

• I/O Ph.D. program at Central Michigan University (Ian Armstrong, 2016 graduate)

• Clinical Medical Psychology Ph.D. program at Mercer University (Selin Odman, 2017 graduate)

• Human Development Counseling M.A. program at Vanderbilt University (Kailey Orkin, 2017 graduate)

• Public Health in Epidemiology M.A. program at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health (Amita Joshua, 2017 graduate)

• MD program at the Medical College of Georgia (Dillon Patel, 2018 graduate)

• I/O Ph.D. program at the University of Oklahoma (Divya Patel, 2018 graduate)

•I/O M.A. program at George Mason University (Ivey McCartney, 2018 graduate)

•MSc in International Public Health at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (Fransuave Moore, 2019 graduate)

•MSc in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Enterprise Development at the University of Westminster (Emily Moody, 2019 graduate)

•I/O Ph.D. program at Georgia Tech (Cooper Drose, 2019 graduate)

•I/O M.S. program at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (Monica Cheung, 2019 graduate)

•MEd program in Learning, Leadership and Organizational Development at the University of Georgia (Jessica Keever, 2019 graduate)

Former Graduate RAs have gone on to:

• Globoforce (Gregory Stevens, 2014 graduate)

• Post-Doc at the University of Georgia (Melissa Robertson, 2017 graduate )

• Johnson & Johnson (Lauren Zimmerman, 2018 graduate)

• Assistant Professor of I/O Psychology, Louisiana State University (Rachel Williamson Smith, 2018 graduate)

• Assistant Professor of Management at University of New Mexico (Andrea Hetrick, 2018 graduate)