School of Psychology

Gary Burns earned his Ph. D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Central Michigan University in 2006. Gary’s research focuses on measuring and predicting individual differences and developing a better understanding of how these differences are related to organizational behavior and decision making. Applied projects focus on refining and developing performance management systems, developing leader-culture fit, and calibrating trust in human-machine teams. Gary is the director of the Social Cognitive and Sociotechnical Behavior Modeling Laboratory and the Workplace Personality Project. The purpose of the Workplace Personality Project is to promote research into the diverse roles of personality in the workplace to better inform practitioners about how to measure and account for personality. Gary currently serves as an associate editor with the European Journal of Psychological Assessment and is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Business and Psychology and the Journal of Personnel Assessment and Decisions.

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Dr. Gutman conducts research and consults in the area of EEO law. Dr. Gutman is the author of EEO Law and Personnel Practices.

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Dr. Merlini oversees the Organizational Climate and Leadership Lab. Her research focuses on leadership development and leader behaviors that foster diversity and inclusion (D&I) workplace initiatives. Dr. Merlini works remoletly as the Organizational Leadership Program Chair but still serves on student theses and dissertations. 

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Dr. Steelman's conducts research in the areas of feedback processes, performance management, and employee engagement. She teaches courses in Performance Appraisal, Organizational Change and Transformation, and Advanced Research Methods & Professional Development. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Akron.

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Dr. Thayer completed her doctorate at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 2015. Her research interests focus on facilitating teamwork and team performance across a variety of contexts (e.g., military units, NASA crews, virtual teams), with an emphasis on team selection, staffing, and composition; trust violation and repair; team cohesion; team adaptation and resilience; and measurement and methodologies for studying interpersonal relationships and team- and system-level dynamics. She currently teaches Organizational Psychology and Multilevel and Teams. She is also part of the leadership team for ICCM.

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Dr. Wildman received her Ph.D. from the University of Central Florida. Her primary research interests include the impact of cultural values and diversity on team process and performance, with a particular emphasis on trust development, violation, and repair in team settings. She currently teaches Group and Team Development and Culture in I/O. She is also involved in research with the Institute for Cross Cultural Management.

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