College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Roy Baumeister
Dr. Roy Baumeister earned his Ph.D. from the Princeton University in 1978. He conducts research in self-control, choice, decision making (including how people regulate their emotions, resist temptation, break bad habits, and perform up to their potential), the need to belong (including responses to rejection and romantic heartbreak) and sexuality (including how couples negotiate their sexual patterns). Other research interests include consciousness, volition, emotion, "free will,” irrationality and self-destructive behavior.
Dr. Jim McNulty
Dr. Jim McNulty earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 2001. He currently conducts longitudinal research on newlywed couples to determine the impact of various cognitive, behavioral, and personality variables on changes in marital satisfaction over time. Issues under investigation include, expectations, forgiveness, cognitive structure, physical attractiveness, psychological and physical abuse, and sexual satisfaction. The goal of the research is to suggest directions for promoting the resilience of initially satisfying beliefs about close relationships.
Dr. Ming Cui
Dr. Ming Cui earned her Ph.D. in sociology from Iowa State University in 2003. Her research interests include adolescent and young adult development, parenting, interpersonal relationships, and research methods and statistics. She received a University Graduate Teaching Award in 2010/11, a University Graduate Mentor Award in 2013/14, and a New Contribution Award from the International Association for Relationship Research in 2002. Dr. Cui is a regular contributor to the top journals in her field.
Dr. Mallory Lucier-Greer
Dr. Mallory Lucier-Greer earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Auburn University in 2012. Her research focuses on the intersection of risk and resilience in vulnerable families. To date her work has included military families, low-resource families, and stepfamilies and identified a number of protective factors inside the family (e.g., marital warmth) and in the boarder social context (e.g., community connections). Identifying protective factors has direct application for promoting evidence-based practice in educational and clinical settings.
Dr. Srikant Manchiraju
Dr. Srikant Manchiraju obtained his Ph.D. in Apparel, Merchandising and Design from Iowa State University in 2015. The recipient of several teaching and research awards, Dr Manchiraju's research has focused on ethical consumption, hedonic consumption, materialism, and happiness. He is also interested in family factors that influence different forms of consumption.
College of Social Work
Dr. Amy Ai
Dr. Amy Ai earned her Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Work, and was a National Institute on Aging postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan in 1996. Her current interests involve Gerontology, Health Disparities, Cultural Diversity, Behavioral intervention, Mindfulness, Mental Health, Spirituality, as well as Stress and Coping. In her previous services, she was a Gubernatorial Appointee of the former Washington State Governor as a board member on the Washington State Council on Aging and an At-large Delegate and Representative of Academic Settings to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. Dr. Ai is Fellow of the GSA, APS, and APA Div. 20, 36, 38, as well as a Hartford Geriatric Faculty Fellow.
Karen Oehme
Karen Oehme earned her Juris Doctor with High Honors from Florida State University College of Law in 1987. A member of the Florida Bar and recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Oehme serves as the director of the Institute for Family Violence Studies with which the Family Institute has a formal memorandum of understanding. Her interests include child welfare, domestic violence and family social work.
Dr. Karen Randolph
Dr. Karen Randolph earned her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2000. She is currently the Agnes Flaherty Stoops Professor in Child Welfare. Dr. Randolph has been funded by the Florida Department of Children and Families to conduct research on engaging families in prevention programs. Her work also focuses on at-risk youth, particularly substance use and abuse.