Emily M Douglas

Emily M Douglas

Professor and Department Head

Social Science & Policy Studies

Office: Room 311

I am a full professor and head of the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 2016-2017 I was a Congressional fellow in Washington, D.C., dually sponsored by the Society for Research in Child Development and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology. In this position, I worked for Senator Ron Wyden (Oregon) and the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on child welfare policy. ... View Profile
Ivon Arroyo

Ivon Arroyo

Associate Professor

Social Science & Policy Studies

Office: Salisbury Labs 317A

Phone: 508-831-6715

A true hybrid across disciplines, professor Arroyo specializes in Learning Sciences, Computer Science and Educational/Cognitive Psychology. Her expertise is in the design of novel technologies for learning and assessment for mathematics, for students throughout the K-12 level. She and her team create intelligent tutoring systems that automatically assess students’ math skills, affective states and metacognitive states, respond to students on the spot, and report strengths and weaknesses (in real time) to the teacher, as students are working on computers or mobile devices. ... View Profile
James Kevin Doyle

James Kevin Doyle

Associate Professor of Psychology

Social Science & Policy Studies

Office: Salisbury Laboratories 317A

Phone: 508-831-5583

I am a social psychologist trained in the interdisciplinary field of judgment and decision making. I am particularly interested in how people develop an understanding of complex environmental and societal problems and how their "mental models" of complex systems can best be studied and improved to aid both personal and public decision making. I firmly believe that environmental and social problems can't be solved without understanding how they are represented in the mind and identifying what cognitive processes people bring to bear upon them. ... View Profile
Laureen Elgert

Laureen Elgert

Associate Professor

Social Science & Policy Studies

Office: Salisbury Laboratories

Phone: 508-831-5452

Laureen's interest in environmental studies grew as she traveled through Southeast Asia and South America, noticing that local resource users' idea of environmentalism often bore little resemblance to familiar interpretations. She has since been particularly interested in the environment-development nexus, examining how politics shapes global environmental policy that can, and often does, have profound impacts on local livelihoods. ... View Profile
Robert Krueger

Robert Krueger

Associate Professor

Director, Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Co-Director, London Project Center
Director, Worcester Community Project Center

Social Science

Office: SL 223C

Phone: 508-831-5110

Robert Krueger is the founding director of WPI's Environment and Sustainability Studies Program. He has been a Co-Principal Investigator on two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants focused on environmental justice issues in Worcester. He serves as co-chair of the EPA’s Environmental Justice Working Group. He is also board president of the Regional Environmental Council. A broad, international audience recognizes Krueger’s scholarship on urban sustainability. He has published dozens of papers in prestigious internationally peer-reviewed journals. ... View Profile
Erin R Ottmar

Erin R Ottmar

Assistant Professor

Social Science

Office: 100 Institute RD

Erin Ottmar is an assistant professor of psychology and learning sciences at WPI. She received her BA in psychology and elementary education from the University of Richmond. After college, she spent several years teaching in Ecuador and Japan. In 2011, she received her PhD in Educational Psychology: Applied Developmental Science from the University of Virginia. After graduate school, returned to a small liberal arts environment and spent 3 years as a post-doctoral research scientist at the University of Richmond. ... View Profile
Oleg V Pavlov

Oleg V Pavlov

Associate Professor

Social Science

Office: Salisbury Labs 310A

Phone: 508-831-5234

Professor Pavlov earned a BS degree in Physics/Computer Science and a PhD in Economics from University of Southern California and an MBA from Cornell University. He has taught at WPI since 2002. He has been to many universities in the US, Russia and Western Europe, but he thinks WPI is like no other university. The project-based approach at WPI allows him to involve students in research projects. He values the opportunity to include students in his research through IQPs and MQPs. ... View Profile
Michael J. Radzicki

Michael J. Radzicki

Associate Professor

Social Science

Office: Salisbury Labs 310C

Phone: 508-831-5296, 508-831-5767

Professor Radzicki is an economist, creator of WPI’s program in system dynamics, and co-creator of WPI’s program in trading and investment system development. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Notre Dame and his training in system dynamics computer simulation modeling from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition, he is a certified Rapid-I Predictive Analytics Analyst. Professor Radzicki’s research focuses on predictive analytics, simulation science, and the application of techniques from these areas to problems in economics, finance, and management. ... View Profile
Kent J. Rissmiller

Kent J. Rissmiller

Dean ad interim, Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division

Director, Washington Project Center

Igsd Office

Office: Project Center 201

Phone: 508-831-5019

Kent Rissmiller completed studies in political science at Muhlenberg College (AB) and Syracuse University (PhD). Along the way, he also completed a JD at the University of New Hampshire Law School, where he worked in the Energy Law Institute. Professor Rissmiller also worked for three years as an attorney for the Public Service Commission of Nevada, where he was involved in setting rates and policies for electric and water utilities. At WPI, Professor Rissmiller teaches government, law, and public policy. He also directs the Pre-Law program and oversees the Law and Technology minor. ... View Profile
Angela C Incollingo Rodriguez

Angela C Incollingo Rodriguez

Assistant Professor

Social Science

Office: Salisbury Labs 317B

Angela Incollingo Rodriguez is an assistant professor of psychology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies. She is also co-director of the Global Public Health minor. She received her PhD in health psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research program uses a biopsychosocial approach to study health and health behaviors. ... View Profile
Khalid Saeed

Khalid Saeed

Professor

Director System Dynamics Program
Director System Dynamics and Innovation Management Program

Social Science

Office: Salisbury Labs 312-D

Phone: 508-831-5296, 508-831-5563

Khalid Saeed is professor of economics and system dynamics. Widely recognized for his work on computer modeling and experimental analysis of developmental, organizational, and governance-related issues, he has written two books and numerous articles and book chapters on a variety of developmental and management agendas, including sustainable economic development, infrastructure planning, political economy, supply chain management, and system dynamics modeling. ... View Profile

Jean Siequist

Administrative Assistant VI

Phone: 508-831-5296

Jeanine LM Skorinko

Jeanine LM Skorinko

Associate Professor

Director of Psychological Science Program

Social Science

Office: Salisbury Labs 317D

Phone: 508-831-5451

Jeanine Skorinko is an associate professor of psychology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies. She also is the director of the Psychological Science undergraduate program. She received her PhD in social psychology at the University of Virginia. Her research program attempts to understand how factors in our social environment, especially those factors we are unaware of, influence decisions and interpersonal interactions. ... View Profile
Alexander D. Smith

Alexander D. Smith

Associate Professor

Director of the SSPS Experimental Economics Laboratory

Social Science

Office: Salisbury Labs 310B

Phone: 508-831-6543

Alexander Smith’s research focuses on altruism, trust, cooperation and honesty. In particular, he is interested in learning how behavior relates to beliefs about the actions of others and how psychology can be used for promoting pro-social behavior. These areas of research provide a better understanding of the factors underlying real-world pro-social behaviors such as volunteering and charitable giving. In essence, they provide insight into how to make the world a better place. Smith is passionate about economics and enjoys teaching because it allows him to share his passion with others. ... View Profile
Gbetonmasse Blaise Somasse

Gbetonmasse Blaise Somasse

Assistant Teaching Professor

Social Science

Office: 100 Institute RD

My research is policy-oriented and focuses on development from the perspective of applied economics and policy evaluation. From my experience as economist and development practitioner in West Africa, I came to realize that as long as actual or potential growth is lagging, promoting economic and social development can be extremely challenging. That is why my research focuses on how economic theory and empirical analysis can provide insights to improve growth and development strategies. ... View Profile
Patricia A. Stapleton

Patricia A. Stapleton

Assistant Professor

Director of the Society, Technology, and Policy Program

Social Science

Office: 100 Institute RD

Professor Stapleton’s research focuses on food regulation, particularly the role of technology in food safety and security. Her interest in agricultural biotechnology regulation and the differences between the American and European approaches to risk assessment and management for genetically modified organisms were the foundation of her doctoral research. She has continued this work on agricultural biotechnology regulation in the European Union, as well as expanded her focus to include how biotechnology regulatory frameworks impact food production and trade. ... View Profile
Elisabeth "Lisa" Stoddard

Elisabeth "Lisa" Stoddard

Assistant Teaching Professor

Undergraduate Studies

Office: Salisbury Laboratories, 310F

Prof Stoddard is a human geographer who is interested in the intersection of nature, society, and social justice. She looks at the ways in which farmed animal production can create environmental hazards and injustice for local communities, including water, air, and soil pollution, as well as the spread of disease. She examines how a changing climate and global economy can exacerbate these issues. Stoddard also looks at the ability of social movements to make powerful changes, especially in the age of social media. ... View Profile

James P. Thompson

Social Science & Policy Studies

Faustina Willie

Humanities & Arts

Associated Faculty

Please note: All phone extensions start with 508-831-.

First Name Last Name Title Email Phone Extension
Ingrid Shockey Adjunct Assistant Professor ishockey@wpi.edu 5296
George Heaton Adjunct Associate Professor grheaton@wpi.edu 5296
Demetri Kantarelis Adjunct Associate Professor dkantarelis@wpi.edu 5296
Mark Miller Adjunct Associate Professor mcmiller@wpi.edu 5296
Seth Tuler Adjunct Associate Professor stuler@wpi.edu 5296
Kim Warren Adjunct Associate Professor kwarren@wpi.edu 5296
Janice Yee Adjunct Associate Professor janiceyee@wpi.edu 5296
James Thompson Adjunct Teaching Professor jpthompson@wpi.edu 5296
John Morecroft Adjunct Professor jmorecroft@wpi.edu 5296
Bob Eberlein Adjunct Professor eberlein@wpi.edu 5296
Karim Chichackly Adjunct Professor karmic@wpi.edu 5296