What is Periodic Ponderings?

Hi 👋🏼. My name is Nicole Barbaro and I’m a social scientist. Periodic Ponderings is a place for me to share my thoughts about PhD careers, higher education and social science. I hope you find these things interesting. If you find what I’ve written interesting, please forward to a friend and share on social media.

Outside I work, I spend the majority of my time (1) reading non-fiction books — you can subscribe to my Bookmarked Reads substack to get weekly newsletters about what I am reading; and (2) exploring our wondrous planet — I moved to Utah in 2019 to embrace an active and exploratory life where I spend my weekends running, hiking, and skiing in the Wasatch front, camping in our nation’s beautiful national parks, and discovering the desert’s secrets.

I hold a Ph.D. in psychology with a specialization in evolution and human development from Oakland University. I currently work as a senior content and communications manager for WGU Labs, an education innovation hub striving to foster innovation in the higher education space. I am also an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Utah Valley University, and I serve as the Communications Officer for HBES.

Learn more about me on my personal website.


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Periodic ponderings about PhD careers, higher education, and social science | Created by Dr. Nicole Barbaro