Faculty and Staff: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

Full-Time Faculty

Justin Yates, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair

Email: [email protected]
Office: MEP 343
Phone: (859) 572-7821

BIO

Justin
Yates, Professor and current department chair, first taught at NKU in 2012 and during the 2013-2014 academic year while finishing his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Kentucky. At NKU, Dr. Yates teaches courses in learning and behavior, research methods, biopsychology, and cognitive psychology. His research focuses on the neurobehavioral mechanisms of substance use disorders and the neural substrates of maladaptive decision making, with an emphasis on aberrant glutamatergic systems. Having published over 35 peer-reviewed journal articles and a textbook (Determinants of Addiction: Neurobiological, Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sociocultural Factors), Dr. Yates’ research has been recognized within the university and at a national level, as he has received NKU’s Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Award and has received three early career investigator awards from the American Psychological Association (APA; Division 6, 25, and 28). He is currently working on his second textbook: Neuroscience of Maladaptation, expected to be published by the end of 2025/beginning of 2026.
Mark Bardgett, Ph.D.
Regents Professor
Email: [email protected]
Office: FH 359K
Phone: (859) 572-5591

BIO

Mark E. Bardgett, Regents Professor, earned his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Missouri - St. Louis in 1991 and did postdoctoral research in neuropharmacology at the Washington University School of Medicine. He teaches courses in the areas of biopsychology and introductory
psychology. Dr. Bardgett’s research interests include psychopharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, and animal models of psychotherapeutic drug action.
Robin Bartlett, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Assistant Chair

Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 367
Phone: (859) 572-5422

BIO

Robin M. Bartlett, Associate Professor, earned her Ph.D. in lifespan developmental psychology in 2000 from West Virginia University. Dr. Bartlett teaches courses in developmental psychology. Her research interests focus on the development of career and family life roles in college students.
Kim Breitenbecher, Ph.D.
Professor

Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 357
Phone: (859) 572-5519

BIO

Kimberly Hanson Breitenbecher received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Ohio University in 1995. She teaches courses in clinical psychology, health psychology, and research methods.

Dr. Breitenbecher’s current research interests include the role of psychosocial factors in pain perception and pain management, as well as the effects of physical activity and exposure to the natural environment.
Kinsey Bryant-Lees, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 363
Phone: (859) 572-1954
BIO

Dr. Bryant earned her Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational and Human Factors Psychology from Wright State University in 2019. She also holds a Master's in Cognitive and Social Processes and an Institutional Research Certification from Ball State University. Currently, Dr. Bryant-Lees teaches graduate courses in I-O Psychology, Workplace Cognition and Decision Making, and Organizational Development, along with her newly developed undergraduate course on the Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination.

Her research interests center around improving the measurement of psychological constructs, particularly as they relate to diversity issues and discrimination in the workplace. Ongoing research projects examine: (1) patterns of implicit and explicit hiring discrimination and the impact of disclosure salience across visible/invisible identities, (2) content and consequences of stereotypes, (3) diversity-focused organizational change initiatives, and (4) the impact of item scale formats on responses and construct clarity.
Kathleen Fuegen, Ph.D.
Professor
Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 347
Phone: (859) 572-5787

BIO

Dr. Kathleen Fuegen, Associate Professor, joined NKU in 2006. She earned her Ph.D. in social psychology with a minor in quantitative psychology in 2002 from the University of Kansas. She teaches courses in social psychology, organizational psychology, and research methods. Her past research investigated how gender and race stereotypes affect work-related decisions. She currently investigates how exercise and environment affect mood, cognition and pain perception.
Perilou Goddard, Ph.D.
Professor

Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 355
Phone: (859) 572-5463

BIO

Perilou Goddard, Professor , earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Indiana University in 1987 and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Brown University in 1989. Dr. Goddard currently teaches Drug Policy and other courses in addiction science. Her research interests focus on attitudes toward drug policy issues.
Allyson Graf, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 369
Phone: (859) 572-5903

BIO

Allyson S. Graf, Assistant Professor, earned her Ph.D. in lifespan developmental psychology from West Virginia University in 2015. She also holds graduate certificates in University Teaching and Women & Gender Studies. Dr. Graf teaches courses in developmental psychology.

Her research focuses broadly on healthy aging. Ongoing interests and projects include 1) patterns of change in health-related self-concepts and 2) sexual attitudes in relation to sexual health and well-being.
Douglas Krull, Ph D.
Professor, Psych Club Co-Advisor

Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 353
Phone: (859) 572-6653

BIO

Douglas Krull, Professor, earned his Ph.D. in social psychology in 1990 from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Krull teaches courses in social psychology, consumer psychology, and cognition in the workplace. His research interests include first impressions and the psychology of religion.
Cecile Marczinski, Ph.D
Regents Professor

Email: [email protected]
Office: MEP 359
Phone: (859) 572-1438

BIO

Cecile A. Marczinski, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, earned her doctoral degree in psychology from McMaster University (Canada) and completed post-doctoral training in psychopharmacology at the University of Kentucky. Her research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, has examined the combined effects of alcohol and energy drinks using human laboratory-based studies. She is the author of over 50 scientific publications and two books, Drug Use, Misuse and Abuse: Psychopharmacology in the 21st Century and Binge Drinking in Adolescents and College Students. She appears frequently in print, on radio, and on television and has been interviewed by ABC, BBC, CBC, CNN, NBC, NPR, Bloomberg Business Week, the New York Times, the London Telegraph, and Time magazine. Her research was cited in U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigations into the safety of caffeinated alcoholic beverages. In addition, she has served as an expert witness in both criminal and civil cases related to alcohol and energy drinks. Dr. Marczinski's outstanding teaching and research have been recognized by various awards including the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities, NKU's Frank Sinton Milburn Outstanding Professor Award, NKU's College of Arts & Sciences Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, and being named a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
Philip Moberg, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, I/O Director

Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 371
Phone: (859) 572-1913

BIO

Dr. Philip J. Moberg, Associate Professor, joined the Department of Psychological Science at Northern Kentucky University in 2005. He earned his Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, with minors in social and quantitative psychology, in 1996 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He subsequently served on the faculty of doctoral programs in IO Psychology at Wayne State University in Detroit and the University of Akron.

Dr. Moberg has presented graduate seminars in Organizational Psychology, Organizational Change and Development, Psychological Testing and Measurement, Work Motivation, Organizational Leadership, Social Cognition, Research Methods, Univariate Statistics, and Multivariate Statistics. His research interests include workplace abuse, bullying, and aggression; work motivation; leadership interpersonal competencies; computer-mediated video assessment; testing and measurement; factor analysis, and item response theory.
Brittany Smith, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Email: [email protected]
Office: FH 359C
Phone: (859) 572-6011

Bio

Brittany Smith joined the Department of Psychological Science in 2022. She was previously at the University of Cincinnati for 11 years, where she completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2016 and postdoctoral fellowship from 2016-2022. She teaches Biopsychology, Biopsychology Lab, and Research Methods. Her interests include behavioral neuroscience, neuroimmunology, molecular neurobiology, and translational research. Her research program is focused on understanding how in utero substance exposure shapes executive function later in life.
Jeffrey Smith, Ph.D.
Professor

Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 348
Phone: (859) 572-5317

BIO

Dr. Jeffrey M. Smith, Professor, earned his Ph.D. in 1988 from Colorado State University in applied social psychology. Dr. Smith teaches graduate courses in human factors (Work Environments) and consumer psychology. His research interests include social conflict over renewable resources (commons dilemma), the effects of the physical environment on behavior, and human factors.
Emily Allgire, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Visiting Teaching Professor
Email: [email protected]
Office: FH 359J
Kalif Vaughn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Email: [email protected]
Office: MP 351
Phone: (859) 572-5117

BIO

Kalif Vaughn received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Kent State in 2014. Prior to joining NKU, he did a postdoctoral at Williams College in Massachusetts. Dr. Vaughn's research area is human learning and memory.