Rachel Saef

Rachel Saef serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Northern Illinois University, specializing in Social/Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Her academic profile integrates rigorous research on workplace dynamics with dedicated teaching in personality and organizational behavior.

Her educational foundation includes a Ph.D. in Psychology from Purdue University (2019) and a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University (2012), establishing her expertise in psychological science and methodology.

Dr. Saef's research program critically examines how personality traits—particularly openness to experience—shape emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to workplace phenomena including cultural diversity, multitasking demands, and unfair treatment. She investigates implications for worker well-being, job performance, and organizational effectiveness, while pioneering methodological innovations in personality assessment through machine learning applications and contextualized measurement approaches. Her work bridges theoretical personality psychology with practical industrial-organizational challenges.

Analysis of her 2016-2024 publications reveals a cohesive research trajectory centered on personality processes in organizational contexts, with increasing emphasis on technological applications in personnel selection. Key thematic clusters include automated assessment systems (2022-2024), trust dynamics in diverse teams (2017-2019), and socio-cognitive mechanisms underlying workplace behavior (2016-2018), demonstrating both theoretical depth and methodological evolution.

No scientific awards were explicitly documented in the source materials.

In her instructional role, Dr. Saef teaches Personality Psychology (PSYC 332), Industrial-Organizational Psychology (PSYC 471), and Personnel Psychology (PSYC 615), translating her research expertise into undergraduate and graduate curricula. While specific grant funding and student advising details were not provided, her prolific publication record in high-impact journals suggests active engagement in securing research support and mentoring emerging scholars.

Information regarding dedicated research laboratories or collaborative teams was not specified in the available documentation.