Director of Research
Affiliate Faculty, Department of Psychology
657 Z. Reynolds Smith Library
singerk@wfu.edu | 336-758-2548
Karen joined the CAT in the winter of 2021. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development in 1997. She spent the next two decades at Purchase College, State University of New York where she began as a junior faculty member in the Department of Psychology, rose through the tenured ranks, and spent 6 years as department chair.
During that time, she won the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching; received six research grants totaling over 3 million dollars; authored numerous peer-reviewed publications; and held leadership positions with two NIGMS programs that support the academic success of underrepresented students in STEM (MARC U*STAR Honors Program and Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program).
When her family relocated to Charlotte in 2018, she took up a position as the Director of Academic Planning and Assessment at UNC-Charlotte. In the brief time she served in this role, she has become a regional and national leader. She served as the program evaluator for the UNC system-wide Digital Enhancement project; co-directs the Grand Challenges in Assessment in Higher Education project; serves on the editorial board of the journal of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education; and offers national workshops designed to increase equity in the assessment of student learning.
CAT Responsibilities: In this inaugural role, Karen develops and manages the educational research program; leads collaborative efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of CAT programming; and supports educational research throughout the institution. She also teaches undergraduate courses as a jointly appointed Part-Time Professor of Psychology.