Dr. Susan Murray

Dr. Susan L. Murray has been named chair of psychological science at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Murray had served as interim chair since July 2015. Her appointment takes effect July 1.

“Dr. Susan Murray brings a great deal of leadership experience to this position, as well as a deep commitment to student and faculty success,” says Dr. Stephen Roberts, vice provost and dean of the Missouri S&T College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. “The department of psychological science is in good hands, and I look forward to working with Dr. Murray in the future.”

Previously, Murray served as a professor of engineering management and systems engineering (EMSE). She joined the S&T faculty in 1994 as an assistant professor in EMSE. She was named associate professor in 2000 and was named professor in 2012. She served as associate chair of engineering management graduate studies at Missouri S&T from 2007 to 2008 and from 2009 to 2012.

Murray’s research focuses on human factors, safety and human systems integration. Among other courses, Murray teaches Human Factors, which serves students in both engineering management and systems engineering and psychological science.

In 2016, Murray co-authored a book on risk management titled Human Fatigue Risk Management with Dr. Matthew Thimgan, assistant professor of biological sciences. The book focuses on ways to prevent human-related disasters like the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Chernobyl nuclear incident by understanding the effects of sleep deprivation. Murray and Thimgan examined the American Petroleum Institute’s Recommended Practice (RP) 755 guidelines that are designed to reduce these types of incidents and developed a simple, objective and inexpensive metric to assess human sleepiness in real-world situations.

In 2013, Murray was named Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management. She is also a member of Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, Epsilon Mu Eta and the University of Missouri President’s Academic Leadership Institute. She has received numerous awards, including the Baker Service Award, the Best Paper Award and the Sarchet Lifetime Achievement Award from Engineering Management Division ASEE Conferences and a Meritorious Service Award from the American Society for Engineering Management. A faculty fellow at the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M University, she was named Missouri S&T’s Woman of the Year in 2000.

Murray earned bachelor of science and Ph.D. degrees in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University in 1985 and 1994, respectively. She earned a master of science degree in industrial engineering from University of Texas-Arlington in 1988.