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What is I-O?

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific study of the workplace. Rigor and methods of psychology are applied to issues of critical relevance to business, including talent management, coaching, assessment, selection, training, organizational development, performance, and work-life balance.

SIOP Scholarship Profiles

To view grant winners, click here.

Each year, the SIOP Foundation presents deserving industrial-organizational graduate students with scholarships to help them in their educational and professional pursuits. These scholarships provided students the financial support they need to complete dissertations, continue research, and contribute to the I-O community in many other ways.

The Graduate Student Scholarships are broken down as follows:

• The highest ranked student receives the Lee Hakel Graduate Student Scholarship
• Two additional Graduate Student Scholarships are awarded to the second and third highest ranked students
• As earnings allow, the second highest ranked student receives the Mary L. Tenopyr Graduate Student Scholarship and the third and fourth highest ranked students receive graduate Student Scholarships

The Graduate Student Scholarships have helped many SIOP students pursue their research and interests and are an important asset to both the SIOP Foundation and the student community. Below is a sampling of some of the students who have received and benefited from the SIOP Graduate Student Scholarships. Read their stories to find out how much these scholarships have helped SIOP students and how valuable an asset they are to the SIOP Foundation. Be sure to check back to this page as more profiles and stories are added!

To find out how you can contribute to the SIOP Foundation's Graduate Student Scholarships, please click here.

Adam Grant	J. Craig Wallace	Erin Richard	Abbie Shipp
Laurel McNall	Marissa Edwards	Lisa Leslie	Sonia Ghumman
Juan Madera	Bret Bradley	Whitney Botsford	Liu-Qin Yang

Lee Hakel Scholarship Winners

Adam Grant, Ph.D.

Winner of the 2006 Lee Hakel Scholarship for his dissertation, “Relational Job Design and Motivation to Make a Pro-Social Difference,” at the University of Michigan. Adam's dissertation focused on designing work contexts to motivate employees to care about having a positive impact on others.

“I am now even more committed to SIOP. I think it’s a wonderful organization, and the scholarship was one of my first contacts with SIOP. This was really an impetus to get me more involved. I have now served on several committees, and it was nice to be able to pay it forward and give back. It was really the beginning of a wonderful relationship.” -Adam Grant

Adam earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology in 2006 from the University of Michigan.

On what winning the Lee Hakel scholarship meant to him, Adam said: “Oh, where do I begin? The scholarship helped me carry out research; it helped with travel, obtaining data, and presenting my findings. It was helpful in obtaining statistical software I needed. Without the scholarship, it would have taken me several months longer to finish my dissertation and I would have at least two fewer papers published than I do now.”

Lisa Leslie, Ph.D.

Winner of the 2007 Lee Hakel Scholarship for her dissertation, "Putting Differences in Context: Incorporating Status and Cooperation into Team Ethnic Diversity Research," at the University of Maryland.

"When I received the scholarship, I had already accepted a faculty position at the University of Minnesota for the fall of 2007 and I was in the process of analyzing my dissertation data, writing up the results, and preparing for my oral defense which would take place later that summer. The scholarship provided me with critical support and enabled me to finish my Ph.D. before beginning my first faculty position.” -Lisa Leslie

Lisa earned her Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology in 2007 from the University of Maryland. She currently works as an assistant professor of human resources and industrial relations at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

The Lee Hakel Scholarship helped Lisa transition during a difficult time in her life.

“The spring of 2007 was a time of both great excitement and great stress," she said. "I was nearing the end of my graduate career and was looking forward to the new challenges that lay ahead of me. Graduate school had enriched my mind, but it had also depleted my savings and making ends meet while finishing my degree was a growing concern. That spring I also learned that I would not be eligible for health insurance from my university over the summer since I would not be a degree student in the fall. Thus, I was faced with the possibility of being without health insurance for several months. As I was trying to cope with these concerns, I learned that I had won a graduate student scholarship from SIOP. In addition to being a great academic honor, the stipend associated with the award erased my concerns about making ends meet and allowed me to purchase temporary health insurance for the summer. Receiving the scholarship was a tremendous relief; it allowed me to spend the final months of my graduate career focusing on my dissertation research and continued intellectual growth, rather than worrying about my financial situation.”

Liu-Qin Yang

Winner of the 2008 Lee Hakel Scholarship for her dissertation, “Physical Violence in Nursing: Longitudinal Examination,” at the University of South Florida.

“I would say the relationship between research and practice is reciprocal, and if we get funding for evidence-based research, it will definitely facilitate practice. And then we can apply those research findings so the I-O psychology field can be better and it will facilitate a positive loop and go on and on.” -Liu-Qin Yang

Liu-Qin is planning to earn her Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology from the University of South Florida in 2009.

Liu-Qin said she especially appreciates being recognized for her hard work.

“It’s recognition from the field about my research quality and research potential, which means the most to me," she said. ""It helped facilitate my dissertation process to a significant extent. This summer I was able to finish the Time 1 data collation for my dissertation, under the support of this scholarship."

Mary Tenopyr Scholarship Winners

Bret Bradley, Ph.D.

Winner of the 2007 Mary Tenopyr Scholarship for his dissertation, "The Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch: How a Disagreeable Person Negatively Impacts Team Performance and What Can Be Done About It," at the University of Iowa.

“I won the Mary Tenopyr grad student scholarship…and the money was enormously helpful in furthering my dissertation research. I will be forever grateful for the assistance from SIOP and the Mary Tenopyr scholarship.”

-Bret Bradley

Bret received his Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the University of Iowa in 2008. He currently works as an assistant professor in the management division at the University of Oklahoma.

Bret's scholarship helped him take more samples for his dissertation.

“I study teams and the impact and how to deal with team ‘bad apples’ or highly disagreeable teammates,” he said. “I wanted to sample cortisol levels, through saliva, of lab participants who were exposed to this bad apple. This would increase the quality of measurement and strengthen any possible findings. However, the costs were prohibitive. Without this money I could not have added this great part into the dissertation.”

Graduate Student Scholarship Winners

Whitney Botsford

Winner of a 2008 Graduate Student Scholarship for her dissertation, "Clarifying the Career Decisions of Mothers and Identifying Organizational Strategies to Retain Mothers," at George Mason University.

“In broad terms, my research explores the challenges women and mothers encounter when attempting to advance in the workplace. This scholarship was a kick-start to conducting this research... Furthermore, the graduate student scholarship inspired confidence in the quality of my research ideas, and motivation to pursue other large forms of funding to advance my program of research.”

-Whitney Botsford

Whitney is planning to earn her Ph.D. from George Mason University in 2009.

On winning the scholarship, Whitney said: “I must say, the first time I truly reflected upon receiving this award was actually during the Plenary session at SIOP. Although a small award relative to the accomplishments of individuals in the room, it was a special moment to be honored among the SIOP community. Post SIOP, the scholarship provided me tangible support to pursue the first part of my dissertation research, a qualitative study exploring the experiences of new mothers at work.”

Marissa Edwards

Winner of a 2007 Graduate Student Scholarship for her dissertation, "Role of Emotions and Organizational Climate in Employees’ Decision to Report or Remain Silent About Serious Wrongdoing,” at the University of Queensland. Marissa’s research considers the nature of employees’ decision-making following observed or experienced wrongdoing.

“The scholarship has allowed me to conduct in-depth, semi-structured interviews with employees who witnessed or experienced a wide range of adverse events, including bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, patient abuse and medical malpractice ….My research will make significant theoretical contributions to our understanding of the psychological processes underlying decision-making in the context of wrongdoing, particularly the role of emotions and appraisal.” -Marissa Edwards

Marissa is planning to earn a Ph.D. in management from the University of Queensland in 2009.

Marissa said the scholarship has helped her finish her dissertation, which has had very interesting results for the I-O community:

"From a practical perspective, the results to date suggest that employees’ beliefs about the safety and utility of reporting wrongdoing exert an important influence on the decision to whistle-blow, suggesting that organizations can encourage speaking up behavior by creating a climate of safety and accountability.”

Sonia Ghumman

Winner of a 2008 Graduate Student Scholarship for her dissertation, "Formal and Interpersonal Discrimination Towards Job Applicants who Wear Religious Attire," at Michigan State University.

"I think the scholarship was vital in helping me complete my dissertation, without being bogged down by the financial aspects of my dissertation. The dissertation process is frustrating enough, having a scholarship that supports your dissertation expenses makes a significant difference in the life of a graduate student.”

-Sonia Ghumman

Sonia is planning to earn her Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology from Michigan State University in 2009.

Sonia said her scholarship provided valuable financial support.

“I needed the scholarship to cover my dissertation expenses. Because my dissertation was a field study requiring numerous resources, I was able to allocate the scholarship money to expenses incurred from collecting data (compensating participants, travel expenses, and other materials needed to collect data),” she said. “For me, winning the scholarship actually meant being able to complete my dissertation in a timely manner. Had I not won, I would have needed to search and wait for alternate sources of funding, etc. (which I'm not sure would have even been available). Even worse, I might have had to pay out of pocket.”

Juan Madera, Ph.D.

Winner of a 2007 Graduate Student Scholarship for his dissertation, “Reactions to Stigmas in the Employment Interview: An Eye Tracking Investigation." Juan’s dissertation examined how a scar on the face influences interview outcomes using an eye tracker, which measures the amount of time one looks at a certain object.

“Without the scholarship it would have been really difficult to complete my dissertation, so as a new faculty member, I plan to continue being an active member of SIOP. Hopefully, one day I will be able to serve on a SIOP scholarship review committee! On a personal note, the award also gave me confidence because it validated the ‘significance’ of my dissertation. It wasn't just a money thing; it is recognition for the hard work and creativity of my dissertation. I am very grateful to SIOP.” -Juan Madera

Juan's scholarship helped him discover more about the influence of facial scars on interviewer perceptions.

Juan earned his Ph.D. from Rice University in industrial-organizational psychology. He is currently an assistant professor of human resource management at the Conrad N. Hilton College at the University of Houston.

“The SIOP award funded my dissertation. Specifically, because I am not an expert on eye trackers, I was able to pay an eye tracker lab coordinator to assist me with the data collection," he said. "I found that interviewers that are looking at a face with a scar during an interview look more at the location of the scar, which was negatively related to how much they were able to recall, which was negatively related to interview ratings than when an applicant does not have a scar. That is, applicants with scars were rated lower than applicants without a scar because their scars are distracting.”

Laurel McNall, Ph.D.

Winner of a 2005 Graduate Student Scholarship for her dissertation, "Reactions to Electronic Performance Monitoring: Antecedents and Consequences of Interpersonal and Informational Justice," at the University at Albany, SUNY.

“I believe the funding I received from the SIOP Foundation played a critical role in the success of this project, which was recently accepted for publication, and ultimately helped launch my academic career.”

-Laurel McNall

Laurel earned a Ph.D. from the University at Albany, SUNY, in industrial-organizational psychology in 2005. She currently works as an assistant professor in the Psychology Department at The College at Brockport, SUNY.

Laurel said the scholarship helped her accomplish many things that would have been difficult without funding:

“For this project, I collected data from 257 call center representatives at eight call centers across the Northeast. This scholarship enabled me to (1) visit several call centers and observe the monitoring process, which was important for the development and refinement of my hypotheses, (2) copy and mail surveys to each location, (3) provide financial incentives to participants for their participation (which I feel boosted the response rate), and (4) present my findings at the SIOP conference.”

Erin Richard, Ph.D.

Winner of a 2005 Graduate Student Scholarship for her dissertation, "Applying Appraisal Theories of Emotion to the Concept of Emotional Labor," at Louisiana State University.

“Receiving the scholarship meant a great deal to me, not only from a financial standpoint. It showed me that other SIOP members thought my work was important enough to support, and that really increased my motivation to do a great project. Also, without the financial support I would not have been able to collect data on the important behavioral outcomes of my intervention (customer service).”

-Erin Richard

Erin earned her Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in industrial-organizational psychology in 2006. She currently works as an assistant professor in the psychology department at Florida Institute of Technology.

Erin said her scholarship helped make her dissertation a quality one.

“I received the scholarship for my dissertation work on emotion regulation strategies. I developed an emotion regulation training helps customer service employees improve their performance by reducing their negative emotions," Erin said. "I wanted to collect customer service ratings of performance, in order to show bottom-line outcomes for the organization. However, this was proving to be very costly because of the postage required. I used the scholarship money to help pay for postage on my surveys. It was a tremendous help and really added to the quality of the data I collected."

Abbie Shipp, Ph.D.

Winner of a 2005 Graduate Student Scholarship for her dissertation, "The Moving Window of Fit: Extending Person-Environment Research with Time," at the University of North Carolina.

"Receiving the award confirmed that I was on the right track with the research I planned to conduct...the award gave my dissertation a sense of legitimacy in that an award-winning dissertation could merit a second look when on the job market."

-Abbie Shipp

Abbie earned her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in organizational behavior in 2006. She is currently working as an assistant professor of management at the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University.

According to the Abbie, the Graduate Student Scholarship helped her in several ways.

“First, the recognition for my dissertation was appreciated in that it was one of the first tests of my ideas in the broader research community. Receiving the award confirmed that I was on the right track with the research I planned to conduct," Abbie said. "Second, the award gave my dissertation a sense of legitimacy in that an award-winning dissertation could merit a second look when on the job market. Finally, the funding associated with the award contributed to my financial support in my fifth year as a doctoral student. In my program at the time, support was not available for a fifth year and I had to search for my own funding. In this way, I was able to take an additional year to conduct research prior to taking a tenure-track position.”

J. Craig Wallace, Ph.D.

Winner of a 2004 Graduate Student Scholarship for his dissertation, "Multilevel Examination of Occupational Safety: Regulatory Focus As Explanatory Link Between Climate, Conscientiousness and Performance," at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

"Winning the graduate student scholarship made all the difference in the world in regards to finishing my dissertation at Georgia Tech in a timely fashion… the long-term benefit was publishing my dissertation Personnel Psychology and winning the S. Rains Wallace Dissertation Award from SIOP.” -J. Craig Wallace

Craig earned his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech in 2004 in industrial-organizational psychology. He currently works as an assistant professor of management in the William S. Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University.

Craig said his scholarship helped him in the short-term to motivate his dissertation participants as well as had long-term benefits.

“I was collecting data from real employees over 3 points in time and I wanted to show my appreciation to the participating organization (and increase my response rate!)," Craig said. "I was able to throw a pizza party for 500 employees thanks to the SIOP foundation, and my response was quite good, allowing me to finish the dissertation. While that was the immediate benefit, the long-term benefit was publishing my dissertation Personnel Psychology and winning the S. Rains Wallace Dissertation Award from SIOP. I have continued to have success publishing in high-quality journals, and much of the success started with the graduate student scholarship I was awarded from SIOP.”

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