Educational Psychology and Methodology

Dr. Panpan Yang is Research Specialist II, Office of Population Research, Princeton University, where she works on the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. She commenced this position in 2021 immediately after completing her MS and PhD in Educational Psychology and Methodology at the University at Albany. Before attending UAlbany, she completed her BS in Psychology at East China Normal University in Shanghai, China, and worked as a school psychologist, also in China.

Panpan’s dissertation was focused on parenting and adolescence, titled Associations between adolescent aggressive behavior problems with distinct parental monitoring and parental knowledge: Mothering versus fathering (using PROSPER data). She has published extensively (currently 14 articles) in peer reviewed journals on topics of research methodology and statistics (especially single-case design), with five such articles published while she was completing her doctoral studies. Since graduation, her many publications have been concerned with parenting in middle childhood and adolescence, as well as research design and statistics.

In addition to presenting extensively at professional conferences, Panpan serves as an editorial board member of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and also Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies. 

Panpan values the support of her doctoral advisor and his assistance in gaining access to the secondary longitudinal data (PROSPER) which made her dissertation possible and facilitated her later academic career. She recommends that new doctoral students should identify their interests by trying out new skills and knowledge. 

Panpan lives in Princeton and recently welcomed her second child to her family. (2024)

Dr. Fei Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. She earned her PhD in Educational Psychology and Methodology from the University at Albany (SUNY) in 2015, following her undergraduate studies in Psychology and master’s degree in Developmental and Educational Psychology at East China Normal University. 

Fei joined the Department of Anesthesiology at UNC as an Education Specialist/Scientist in 2015 and transitioned to her current faculty position in 2020. In her present position, Fei co-directs the Excellence in Anesthesiology at Chapel Hill Education Research (TEACHER) Lab and oversees the Academic Medicine Rotation within her department. Additionally, she chairs the scholarship committee (2023-2025) and is a member of the leadership council for the Academy of Educators at the UNC School of Medicine.

As a scholar in medical education, Fei carries out research focused on competency-based assessment, instructional methods, technology-assisted learning, and curriculum improvement. She has designed and evaluated numerous educational initiatives, all aimed at enhancing learning experiences through innovative teaching and assessment strategies. 

Fei has received several honors for her contributions to medical education. She was recognized as a 2023-2024 Visiting Scholar by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the only non-physician in the cohort. She also received the 2023 Philip Liu Award for Innovation in Anesthesia Education from the Society for Education in Anesthesia. 

Fei’s enthusiasm for research and education is matched by her dedication to mentorship and team-based collaboration. She encourages aspiring and current students to seek support from their peers and mentors, and to explore diverse opportunities without hesitation, recognizing that some temporary setbacks or detours can lead to some of the most valuable career experiences. Passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, Fei co-founded the UNC STEMM Education Research Collaborative Group with fellow UAlbany alum Dr. Beka Layton in 2023. This group aims to foster connections among UNC education researchers across disciplines, including Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine (STEMM).

Reflecting on her journey, Fei found the opportunities to apply the knowledge and skillsets that she obtained during doctoral studies helpful in exploring personal career interests and possibilities.  She appreciates how her doctoral training equipped her for a career in education and assessment, allowing her to transition from a staff position to a faculty role where she could engage deeply in research and scholarship.

Beyond her academic and professional work, Fei enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking, taking full advantage of the natural beauty surrounding the Research Triangle area where UNC is located​. (2024)

Dr. Joanna Weaver graduated with her PhD in Educational Psychology and Methodology at the University at Albany in 2019. While a student at UAlbany, Joanna was awarded a dissertation Research Fellowship, and a Graduate Student Research Excellence Award from the American Educational Research Association. Her dissertation topic was Learning a new physics concept by exploring analogous problems: An instructional intervention.

In 2021, Joanna gained her current position of Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Psychology, Northeastern University MA. Since then, she has been awarded a Faculty Professional Development Award from Northeastern, and an Early Career Psychologist Travel Grant from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

Joanna teaches courses in developmental psychology. She attributes her selection for the Northeastern faculty position and her readiness to teach her courses there to the teacher training, experience, supervision and feedback she received teaching undergraduate courses at UAlbany, creating a teaching portfolio (which she used on the job market), and concurrently attending the Seminar in College Teaching where she valued the shared experience and the feedback from fellow students and supervisor. She also adopted many instructional techniques from UAlbany's ITLAL workshops. In addition, her experiences as a TA allowed her to observe and implement test construction, rubric creation, and formative assessments. She recommends that new doctoral students should apprentice themselves to a professor in the Educational Psychology division whose research or skills interest them. As well as allowing observation of this professor and engagement in their research, such apprenticeship will provide travel to conferences to present the research, and likely inclusion in a publication from assisting in the research.

According to Joanna, another particularly valuable part of the doctoral program was the comprehensive exam process. She wrote: I loved doing in-depth researching three assigned topics and writing a scholarly paper under time pressure. It was an authentic experience with multiple benefits. I have turned two of the topics I wrote about into units in the Developmental course that I teach now because I had extensive and up-to-date knowledge of the state of the research. I also received substantial feedback from the committee both before and after writing the exams. The preparatory meeting helped me to understand the exam’s purpose and what I should be aiming for; the written comments afterward helped me to see where I had showcased my strengths and where I had weaknesses. It was not dissimilar from receiving reviews on a manuscript submission.

Joanna reports that her cohort at UAlbany was supportive; members attended each other’s practice job talks and conference presentations. The collegiality between the graduate students motivated her to come into the shared office to work and created a friendly environment in which to grow as a scholar. Students read each other’s drafts and shared teaching material. These relationships steered Joanna through the years of her PhD program. (2024)

Dr. Haiyan Zhang is an Associate Professor of Psychology at SUNY Cortland. She completed her PhD in Educational Psychology and Methodology at the University at Albany in 2014. Her dissertation was titled Towards an Early Start for Head Start Children: Evidence from an Academically-Enriched Literacy Initiative.   Before coming to Albany, she earned a BS in Mathematical Statistics at Anhui University in China.

Prior to gaining the position of Assistant Professor of Psychology at SUNY Cortland in 2018, Haiyan worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Siena College and Colgate University.         

Involvement in research has been an important aspect of Haiyan’s career. She published three articles in peer-reviewed outlets before her graduation, and seven (to date) since then. She serves as reviewer for several journals in the field of human development.

Haiyan considers that the doctoral program in Educational Psychology and Methodology at UAlbany prepared her for both the teaching and research aspects of her current position. She especially values the supervised teaching experience built into the program, which inspired and prepared her for her current job.

When invited to give advice to aspiring and current students, Haiyan recommended that they “go for it”, start planning for their career early in the program, seek advice from multiple sources, and do not forget to build a strong mind-body connection by exercising both because it takes effort and endurance to earn a PhD.

Haiyan lives in Ithaca, NY, with her husband and two small children. (2024)

Dr. Nathan Gonyea completed his MS in Educational Psychology and Methodology in 2003 and PhD in 2005. He currently serves as a professor of education at Empire State University, part of the State University of New York. Prior to his current role, Dr. Gonyea served as SUNY Empire’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. He assumed the provost role after serving for 19 months in the role of officer in charge (i.e., acting president). Nathan took over stewardship of the institution during the COVID-19 pandemic and at a time of significant leadership transition. He endeavored to provide steady, collaborative, and transparent leadership through the many twists and turns of the pandemic and extended presidential search process. During his tenure, the college successfully reopened locations after pandemic closures, developed an academic action plan to improve the new student experience, expanded opportunity programs to increase student access and success, reinvested in marketing to increases institutional visibility and enrollments, resolved a structural budget deficit, and significantly increased institutional reserves.

Prior to becoming officer in charge, he served as dean of the School for Graduate Studies, interim dean of the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor Studies, and as associate dean of Graduate Studies. While in his role as dean, Nathan oversaw the launch of SUNY Empire’s Center for Autism Inclusivity with the goal of making SUNY Empire a fully autism-supportive college and meeting the growing demand for professionals working with children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. He also oversaw a significant increase in the schools’ degree program offerings and a more than doubling of enrollments. Before coming to SUNY Empire, he was a tenured associate professor at SUNY Oneonta, where he was recognized with the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.  
    
During his time in the Educational Psychology and Methodology program, Nathan had the privilege of being engaged in research with a number of faculty members and working at the Evaluation Consortium. He credits these experiences and the grounding in assessment, measurement, statistics, and learning he gained in the Educational Psychology and Methodology program with laying the foundation for his leadership roles. He said, “In today’s higher education environment, it is critically important for academic leaders to understand and be able to use data to improve teaching, learning, and student outcomes. University at Albany’s Educational Psychology and Methodology program prepares graduates with knowledge and skills that uniquely position them to contribute to institutional sustainability and excellence.” (2024)

Dr. Zachary Warner is Assistant Commissioner, Office of State Assessment, New York State Education Department. He was previously Director of State Assessment and State Education Psychometrician.

Zachary has attained numerous positions and awards in the field of educational assessment. These include serving as Governing Board Member of the National Council on Measurement in Education; Chair of the State and Local Assessment Leaders Special Interest Group in Measurement in Education (SIGIMIE); Member of the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB)/Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) State Policy Task Force; and Early Career Mentorship Award from the American Educational Research Association Division G.

 Zachary completed his PhD in Educational Psychology and Methodology at the University at Albany in 2013. His dissertation topic was Cognitive Models of Task Performance for an Algebra Test. He considers that the strong focus on methodology within the Educational Psychology doctoral program helped him attain his current position, reporting that it is invaluable as he guides and evaluates research that informs the NYS assessment programs. This has made him comfortable in many situations revolving around research, not just those related to testing. 

As well as valuing the methodology courses in the doctoral program, Zachary now realizes that courses in the different strands in the Division of Ed Psych also inform the way he does his job every day. He considers that having coursework in behavioral psychology relates directly to decisions made about test administration conditions while learning science has become the foundation of modern assessment research.

When invited to give advice to current and aspiring students, Zachary wrote “Whatever you want to study, whatever subject you’re passionate about, learn how to communicate about it. There are many, many smart people in the world. There are fewer who can share their knowledge in a meaningful and impactful way.”

Zachary describes himself as a “proud husband of 14 years, and father of an 8 year-old daughter”. (2024)

Dr. Hirah Mir graduated with her PhD in 2018. Her dissertation focused on the ethnic identity development of children of immigrants. While completing her doctorate, she received the prestigious University Teaching Award, and also worked as an intern at the NYS Office of People with Developmental Disabilities. Later, Hirah worked in that office as a research scientist and then became the Chief Diversity Officer, a position she still holds. During her time in state government, Hirah has contributed original empirical research on the impact of equitable wages on the tenure of direct support professionals. She has also worked to enhance equitable language-access for people with developmental disabilities and families with limited English proficiency, and implemented agency-wide strategic plans for cultural competence, linguistic competence, diversity, equity and inclusion. A career highlight for her in state government has been working with the NYS Office for New Americans and community-based organizations to help immigrant families access disability services, such as food stamps, Medicaid, TANF, services for the unhoused, and more. Her experiences navigating poverty with her family and pursuing higher education are featured in a documentary called American Nightmare American Dream. (2024)

Dr. Halley Eacker graduated in 2021 with a PhD in Educational Psychology and Methodology with a concentration in Special Education. She entered the program as a certified teacher in several areas including Students with Disabilities, and in Literacy, and with experience as a special education teacher. After her doctoral studies, Halley has continued working in the field of special education. She is currently a Behavior Specialist in a public school district, supporting students and their families.

During her doctoral program, Halley received university scholarships recognizing her academic achievements. Her dissertation was titled Addressing the development of reading comprehension in students with ASD: A meta-analysis. Results confirmed an overall effect of reading comprehension interventions, including tried-and-true practices such as explicit instruction, shared reading, vocabulary instruction and use of technology. Her results provided an example of synthesizing findings across single case studies to determine overarching impacts and implications for the field.

Halley reports that she gained meaningful guidance, support and opportunities for growth from professors in her doctoral program. She particularly appreciates the opportunity that the doctoral program gave her to work closely with two faculty members on a writing intervention with students with autism spectrum disorder. She also values learning methodological techniques (e.g. single-case design) that are essential in special education research. Presenting the findings at the AERA Annual Meeting, and at Coimbra in Portugal, were very valuable experiences. 

Halley’s doctoral study was funded through a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to the Division of Special Education. It incorporated experience in research, undergraduate and graduate teaching, and field supervision of student teachers and interns. These well-rounded experiences provided a comprehensive understanding of the field of special education and allowed her to take on many different and interesting roles after graduation. 

When given the opportunity to provide advice to aspiring and current students, Halley had two main recommendations:

1. Explore what is meaningful to you. 

In her doctoral program, Halley herself drew upon her teaching experience and addressed the concerns and challenges she faced as a practitioner. She aimed to conduct research that would have a positive impact on students with disabilities, but also increase access to meaningful support for educators.

2. Keep in mind that there are many options for how you can use your PhD after graduation. It might take some time for you to find your path – this is okay!

Following her PhD study, Halley entered the private sector and focused on school improvement services and program evaluation. This afforded her the opportunity to work with local and state agencies to improve policy and practice on a broad scale. More recently she transitioned to a role in a public school setting as a Behavior Specialist. She is proud to be part of a supportive school community where she can share her knowledge and collaborate with an amazing team. 

Halley currently lives in Albany with her partner and their pets. She enjoys gardening and spending time with friends and family. (2024)