Sidni Justus
Dr. Sidni Alanna Justus is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at Kennesaw State University. Prior to joining faculty at Kennesaw State, she spent time as a visiting Assistant Professor at Oglethorpe University for three years. She also completed postdoctoral training at the Georgia Institute of Technology (NIH T32 Institutional Training Grant; advisor: Dr. Audrey Duarte) as a recipient of an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA). She received both her bachelor's of science degree (Psychology) and her Masters and Ph.D. (Cognition and Brain Science) from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Teaching:
Dr. Justus has taught a variety of courses during her time at Georgia Tech, Oglethorpe, and now KSU. Currently, she primarily teaches courses in psychological research methods, sensation and perception, introductory psychology, and various courses related to developmental psychology (e.g., child development, psychology of aging). Her courses are offered in person, online, or hybrid depending on the semester. Her classes offer many experiential learning opportunities centered around scientific research design, presentation and written communication, and engaging with course topics 'in the real world'.
She also previously served as a graduate teaching fellow for Georgia Tech's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and was a recipient of a departmental and institute-wide teaching award as a graduate instructor of record.
Research and Mentorship:
Dr. Justus has primary research interests spanning cognition, memory, and attention in developmental disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has explored these from both early childhood and aging perspectives. She also regularly conducts scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research, recently focusing on student success and course withdrawal.
She directs her research lab team which consists of undergraduate and graduate students from KSU and collaborators' universities who assist in ongoing projects. Her research assistants are involved in all aspects of the reserach process: from study design to presentation/publication of findings. She has personally trained nearly 3 dozen undergraduate students on various projects using behavioral and neurophysiological (EEG) methodologies. She also occasionally mentors more senior undergraduate students in Capstone Independent Research related to their own personal interests and career goals (e.g., mindfulness for student athletes). Finally, she has served an informal advisor as well as formal Master's level committee member for multiple graduate students.
Service:
Dr. Justus serves on the advisory board for Uverciti, a program designed to equip students with resources and academic coaching to better streamline their planning and organization while in college. She regularly guest lectures at other universities as well as for psychological science outreach programs for middle- and high-school students. She has served as a trainer for the Atlanta Regional Brain Bee, co-sponsored by the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and the Atlanta Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. She has served as a conference abstract reviewer and judge at multiple local and regional undergraduate research conferences. Lastly, she regularly serves as a peer reviewer for a number of scientific journals.
