Our Team

Dollie Kuzmickus received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and her M.A. in Applied Psychology at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. She is currently in her third year as a Ph.D. student in the Applied Psychology program and working as the lab manager for Dr. Tamara Kang's Barriers to Reducing Crime lab. Her research interests include criminal rehabilitation, barriers to re-entry, and translation of research to practice. After graduation, she hopes to pursue research in both industry and academic settings. 

Jacquelyn Spence received a B.S. in psychology from Millikin University in 2019 and an M.A. from SIU-C in 2024. She is working on a Ph.D. in psychology at SIU-C. She was, in previous semesters, a research assistant to Dr. Eric Jacobs, and is currently a teaching assistant for Research Methods and Statistics. Her research interests include behavioral economics, cooperation in decision-making, and resource management. Upon graduation, she intends to pursue a career in user experience (UX) research. 

Matt Atterberg received his B.S. in Psychology at Northern Illinois University. Afterwards, he worked as a Data Assistant in a clinical psychology laboratory where he assisted on a longitudinal study. He is currently a first year Ph. D. student in the Applied Psychology program, specializing in Social and Industrial/Organizational Psychology and currently a TA for PSYC 102 Introduction to Psychology. His research interests include leadership styles, occupational stress and outcomes, workplace cultures, social cognition, group dynamics, and bias in the hiring process and in the workplace.

Kieleha Ingram is a doctoral student who will receive her Ph.D. in Population Health from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, in May (Spring 2027). Kieleha earned her M.S. in Applied Psychology from SIUC, where she focused on the intersection of psychology and law. Kieleha has been an associate in the Applied Research Consultants program at SIUC since January 2023. Social determinants of health and exercise are among Kieleha's current research interests.

Josie Fryar received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southeast Missouri State University. She is currently in the Applied Psychology program at SIUC working on her master's degree. Josie is currently a research assistant for a section of Intro to Psychology. Her research interests include forensic psychology, studying individuals' attitudes and corrections.

Taige Zhao received her B.S. in Applied Psychology in 2020 and her M.S. in Social Psychology in 2024 from Ludong University in China. She is currently a first year Ph.D. student in the Applied Psychology program at Southern Illinois University and working as a TA for PSYC 102 Introduction to Psychology. Her research interests include pro-social behavior, pro-environmental behavior, and unethical pro-organizational behavior.

Riley Allen received their B.A. in psychology from SIU in 2024 and is currently working towards their M.S. in applied psychology at SIU in the 4+1 Accelerated Master's Program. They are involved in Dr. Tamara Kang's Barriers to Reducing Crime Lab and work with the Evaluation and Developmental Center in Carbondale. Their research interests include criminal offender reentry and rehabilitation, criminal justice policy analysis, and risk assessment. After graduation, they hope to either pursue a Ph.D. in criminal justice or conduct research within the criminal justice field.

Carson Halpin received her B.A. in Psychology from Southern Illinois University in the Spring of 2024. She also spent her undergraduate years in the pre-medicine program. She is currently in the Accelerated Master’s Program in Applied Psychology. Her research interests include disparities in the healthcare system and making healthcare more accessible. After completing the master’s program, her goal is to obtain a job in the healthcare field.

Cassandra Jeralds received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University -CCarbondale in December 2024. She is currently working on her master’s degree in applied psychology at SIUC in the  4+1 Accelerated Master’s Program. Cassie recently joined the Applied Research Consultants (ARC) team. She is currently working in the Human Resources department at SIUC.  She is not sure where her path will take her, but she enjoys working with adolescents and young adult research.

Chelsea Hall is an undergraduate student at SIUC working towards her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She has goals of obtaining a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and specifically hopes to help those struggling with trauma and anxiety. She recently joined the Applied Research Consultants (ARC) to learn more about the applied side of psychology. This will help her gain a more well-rounded understanding of gathering data and how it can be used.  

Morgan Evans is a Junior Honors undergraduate studying Psychology and Communications, aspiring to a career in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. She is passionate about workplace culture, leadership, and organizational development and applying research-driven strategies to enhance hiring, training, and efficiency. She is involved in Undergraduate Student Government, the Psychology RSO, and a student representative on four university committees, promoting student engagement and retention.

Ryan C. Nation is a PhD candidate in Applied Psychology at Southern Illinois University in his final semester of classes. His academic training has brought him expertise in survey design, quantitative and qualitative research methods, complex data analysis, and effective report writing. His professional experience has provided him with extensive qualitative experience, conducting work both as a licensed therapist and as a qualitative researcher.

He earned his B.A. at St. Bonaventure University in 2017, his M.S. from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2020, and his M.A. from Southern Illinois University in 2023, while currently pursuing his Ph.D.

Jennifer A. Brantley is from Monroeville, Alabama.  She received her B.A. in Political Science and her M.S. in Psychology in Mobile, from the University of South Alabama.  Her research interests involve developing tests and measures of 21st Century Skills in institutional and organizational settings as well as studying tacit knowledge transfer and applied learning, and learning analytics, which measure, procedural knowing, perspectival knowing, and participatory knowing as well as the philosophy of science underpinning learning in higher education as well as other academic, government, and private training sectors. Jennifer currently serves as a Teaching Assistant for Advanced Field Research Methods and Statistics.  She is part of Dr. Yue-Ting Lee and Dr. Eric Jacobs’ research labs. Her career goals include research consulting, training and development, and teaching at the university level.  

Dr. Dustin Nadler is the Director of Applied Research Consultants (ARC) at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). Originally from the St. Louis metropolitan area, he received his Ph.D. from the Applied Psychology program at SIUC. Since graduating, he has worked at several universities in the greater St. Louis area and as a research consultant, a role which he currently holds. Additionally, Dr. Nadler is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Fellow of the Center for Access and Achievement at Maryville University in St. Louis. In his role at the Center for Access and Achievement, he is heavily involved in grant and program evaluation work. His program evaluation and grant work focus on evaluating STEM and coding educational programming for K – 12 students in various settings and professional development training for teachers within the same arena.