Faces of ACT
- Alex
- Senior Research Associate
- Career Transitions/Research
I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Grinnell College and a master's and doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa with a specialty in personality assessment. During graduate school, I worked as a research assistant at ACT and found the work to be an excellent fit for my interests and skills.
After graduate school, I was offered a full-time job as a research associate and have been involved in a variety of projects that focus on measuring individual differences and behaviors in applied settings, including (1) measures of psychosocial factors to identify students at-risk of experiencing academic performance difficulties and/or drop-out, (2) behaviorally anchored rating scales designed to measure and monitor key behavioral dimensions in academic (6th to 12th) and workforce (development & training) settings, and (3) measures of personality and job fit designed to assist in workforce selection, placement, and development.
In my experience, there is no "typical" day at work, but that is part of what I like about the job: the wide range of work activities and tasks. These include (but are not limited to) authoring research manuscripts, ACT research and policy reports, and user-support guides, leading project teams; conducting presentations and business meetings; providing research support for marketing objectives; and supervising junior staff.
I like that my work at ACT provides lots of intellectual stimulation. I see myself as a lifelong learner, and my work keeps me connected to the scientific literature and allows me to contribute to that literature through professional conferences and publish my in peer-reviewed journals.
I also greatly enjoy working with others and the variety of people I have gotten to know here. The people truly are what make each company unique, and I feel fortunate to have such a great team of colleagues, many of whom are also friends.
I want to continue making a contribution to the research literature on student risk, as well as provide solutions that can drive educational policy in the United States. I also am interested in continuing to assume positions of increased managerial responsibility.
I have a wide range of hobbies, including playing with my two retrievers, traveling, keeping up with current events, listening to music, and watching movies. I also have two creative hobbies I spend a lot of time on; photography and cooking. I began photography at the age of 12 with a simple point-and-shoot camera. Over the years, I have developed my skills and now do a wide range of photography, including travel, nature, people, and even abstract. As to cooking, I grew up with a grandmother who was an excellent cook and she taught me my way around the kitchen. I love to cook a variety of ethnic foods at home, and to host dinner parties for family and friends.