Susan J. Simkins

Susan J. Simkins is a Professor of Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University, where she serves as Lead of the CTSI-Team Science Core and is based in Moore Building at University Park. Her contact details include email sxm40@psu.edu and phone (814) 863-7387.

Education

• Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1996

Research Interests

Dr. Simkins' research centers on effective teamwork and performance through three interconnected streams: team composition/diversity (examining demographic, cognitive, and personality-based diversity within contingency frameworks), team cognition/mental models (focusing on shared understanding of tasks and teamwork dynamics), and temporal integration in teams (investigating time-based diversity, temporal leadership, and pacing styles). Her work emphasizes individual differences, cognitive processes, and temporal dynamics as critical determinants of team effectiveness in organizational contexts.

Publication Trends

Her 2013-2017 publications reveal a strong focus on temporal dimensions of teamwork, including polychronicity diversity, temporal conflict in specialized teams (e.g., culinary environments), and time-sensitive mental models. Key methodological approaches involve multilevel analysis and contingency frameworks, with applications spanning leadership theory, decision-making diversity, and climate interactions. Work appears consistently in top organizational psychology journals like Journal of Applied Psychology and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

Scientific Awards

• No scientific awards were documented in the provided text.

Advising and Grants

While the text confirms her faculty role and research leadership, specific details about graduate student advising, grant funding, or sponsored projects were not included in the source material.

Labs and Teams

Dr. Simkins leads the CTSI-Team Science Core, an initiative dedicated to advancing methodologies for studying team-based research structures and improving collaborative effectiveness in scientific and organizational settings.