Joanne Ullman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor-in-Residence
Biography
Joanne Ullman earned a doctoral degree in Experimental Psychology from UNLV in 2017. Prior to that, she achieved a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from Montclair State University and a master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Following her undergraduate career, Joanne Ullman worked in various organizational settings in both for-profit and non-profit sectors. Her earlier work experiences included front-line, supervisory, and administrative capacities. She later discovered an interest in human resources operations and successfully secured positions in interviewing, recruiting, training, and benefit administration functions. After obtaining an advanced degree in organizational psychology, she became a leading contributor to job task analysis and performance assessment initiatives.
Expertise
Joanne Ullman has provided consultation services regarding organizational development and process improvement by customizing assessments and interpreting data for stakeholders. In addition, she offers input using her expertise in instructional design. For example, she served the surrounding community by contributing implicit bias lesson materials to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department as part of their Use of Force Training. Furthermore, a leading provider and producer of educational videos hired Dr. Ullman as a science writer to create and review informational content in Psychology.
As part of her graduate education, she conducted scientific investigations on counterproductive workplace behaviors, financial literacy/behaviors, and risk communications. Under the guidance of Dr. Ned C. Silver, a quantitative psychologist, she performed a multidisciplinary study that merged information about copyright law and history with theories from developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and social psychology for her doctoral dissertation. The body of work culminated in a peer-reviewed publication regarding the development and testing of warnings for Internet music piracy, which gained media attention.
Teaching
Joanne Ullman has taught various courses, including Introduction to Psychology, Behavioral Statistics, Research Methods, Psychology and Law, and Psychometrics (graduate level). As a higher education instructor, she seeks opportunities to expand her skill set to meet the evolving needs of the current work climate within academia and beyond. For example, Dr. Ullman live-streams her lectures to remote students using her training in technology-enhanced classrooms. In addition, she completed a podcasting workshop to explore a different medium for delivering educational material. She is also proud to have completed the UNLV Inclusive and Equity Institute program to effectively serve and work alongside a diverse population. Dr. Ullman received the UNLV Outstanding Teaching Award by Part-Time Instructor in 2021, and was hired as a full-time faculty member in 2022.
Dr. Ullman’s unconventional career path reinforces her commitment to providing high-quality instruction to adults seeking re-entry into the workforce. She enjoys experimenting with ways to help students develop valuable job skills.