HumRRO is excited to announce that Karyssa Courey is the 2025 HumRRO Fellowship in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology recipient. Courey is an I-O doctoral candidate at Rice University, working toward completing her dissertation, “Communicating Statistical Uncertainty to Organizations: Comparing Bayesian and Frequentist Statistics,” in May 2026.
Since 1998, the HumRRO Fellowship in I-O Psychology has been one of the most prestigious awards in the field of I-O psychology and has made a significant impact on the recipients and their research. HumRRO also awards the annual Fellowship in Educational Measurement and Evaluation to recognize and support doctoral students in education and related fields. (Read about the 2025 Education Fellowship winner, Surina He.)
HumRRO CEO Dr. Suzanne Tsacoumis presented Karyssa Courey with the HumRRO Fellowship in I-O Psychology.
“I am so grateful and honored to receive the HumRRO Fellowship in I-O Psychology,” said Courey. “Not only is the HumRRO Fellowship one of the most prestigious fellowships for graduate students in our field, but I am humbled to be recognized among all of the exceptional previous recipients. Receiving this award signals to me that HumRRO wants to support me as a researcher and my dissertation work. Personally, this recognition reaffirms my efforts to learn and apply Bayesian methods within I-O psychology, and my continued dedication to supporting statistical education more broadly.”
When choosing her dissertation topic, Courey said she was inspired by the need to support employees in making better statistical decisions. “My dissertation research explores how the format in which findings are presented (graph or text, Bayesian or frequentist), as well as individual differences of the decision-maker (numeracy, graph literacy), impact statistical judgments and decisions made in organizations,” she explained. “Results from my dissertation will hopefully inspire future research and practice exploring how employees understand statistical information and incorporate that information into their own decision-making.”
The Fellowship selection committee noted Courey’s impressive contributions to the I-O field already, publishing more than a dozen peer-reviewed articles and presenting at numerous professional conferences. Courey has received multiple grants, including the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Small Grant Program and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program for research on statistical evidence, HR analytics, and employment discrimination.
“Karyssa exemplifies the kind of innovative thinking, dedication, and passion we seek to encourage and support through our fellowship awards,” said President and CEO Suzanne Tsacoumis, Ph.D. “We are excited about her research interests and to witness her future impact on the field of I-O psychology.”
The HumRRO fellowship grants a non-renewable $18,000 stipend, which Courey plans to use to help complete her dissertation work and share findings with the I-O psychology community.
“I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Fred Oswald, for his constant support and encouragement, as well as for the influence of his mentorship on my approach to research,” said Courey. “Fred has always matched my curiosity, excitement, and thoughtfulness in our research collaborations, further enabling me to creatively explore and pursue a variety of projects.”
Applications for next year’s HumRRO Fellowship in Industrial-Organizational Psychology will open on April 1, 2026.
Honorable Mention
In an unprecedented move, the HumRRO Fellowship selection committee has chosen to recognize an applicant with an “honorable mention” this year: Saron Demeke, a Ph.D. candidate in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program at the University of Minnesota. This recognition, while not to be established as a precedent, underscores the committee’s appreciation for Demeke’s remarkable contributions and potential in the field.
