Laura Galarza

Laura Galarza serves as Associate Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus and acts as UPR Coordinator for the Erasmus Mundus Work, Organizational, and Personnel Psychology (WOP-P) Master Program. Her leadership roles include Academic Senator, Interim Department Chair, and Industrial-Organizational MA & PhD Program Coordinator.

Education

• PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Rice University (2000)

Research Focus: Dr. Galarza specializes in Work and Organizational Psychology with emphasis on team dynamics in extreme environments. Her NASA-funded research developed astronaut selection systems and psychological training protocols for long-duration space missions, bridging organizational behavior with human performance under isolation. Current work examines cross-cultural team development through the Erasmus Mundus WOP-P program.

Professional Impact: As a former NASA Behavioral Health and Performance Group psychologist (1996-2001), she engineered selection frameworks still used in space programs. Her consulting spans Puerto Rican and U.S. public/private sectors, while academic leadership includes strategic planning for institutional accreditation and curriculum development in organizational psychology.