Dr. Bryan Dawson, a professor of psychological science, hopes to guide students in learning how to refine and integrate multiple sources of information into cohesive thoughts – ones that they can apply to their daily lives.
He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Georgia Southern State University where he majored in psychology and experimental psychology. He continued his education at the University of Georgia and earned a Ph.D. degree in industrial organizational psychology.
He has always been interested in the study of psychology and particularly the importance of diversity and inclusion for organizational growth and employee retention.
"Average adults spend up to one-third of their lives either at work or thinking about work," he said. "So many aspects of our lives are tied to the workplace. However, our perceptions of those around us make this time valuable or potentially perceived as a source of stress and anxiety. Oftentimes, marginalized individuals may feel excluded or isolated in their workplace."
His area of research involves the analysis of diversity and leadership within the workplace and the efforts of senior leadership and departments to foster more inclusive environments for their employees, which he believes is a growing and necessary field of research.
"The statistician in me enjoys trying to make predictions of human behaviors based on hundreds, if not thousands of data points," Dawson said.
He is heavily involved in undergraduate research, and the McNair Scholars Program, because students inspire him to push them to do bigger and better research projects.
"I enjoy building upon their projects to bring them to the level of graduate students, which may result in publications and presentations," he said. "My students are often socially aware of the need for diversity and inclusion, and are eager to develop research questions and protocols in this area that can effect change where they attend school."
