Fox Cities News

Blair Braun, a 2018 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO) psychology graduate and current assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Platteville, will be honored this fall with the UWO 2024 Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Following her UWO diploma, Braun pursued further studies by enrolling in a doctoral program in experimental psychology at Kent State University, Ohio. She earned a master’s degree in 2020 and completed her Ph.D. in psychological sciences in 2023.

Braun has established a reputation for excellence rooted in research. During graduate school, she presented research posters at six professional conferences and had three peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals. She received six research-related grants, engaged in service opportunities, and participated in numerous teacher training seminars. As an undergraduate, she secured four grants totaling nearly $6,000.

“The UW System is extremely lucky to have this talented and dedicated scholar helping to educate future leaders and innovators,” said UWO associate professor Aaron Karst, who nominated Braun for the alumni award. He noted that she has developed into an “independent scholar and pedagogically informed teacher within five short years.”

Quin Chrobak, psychology professor at UWO, stated that Braun was a member of his research team for four semesters, focusing on factors influencing the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. He remarked that Braun was the strongest member when it came to critiquing peer-reviewed scientific research. She presented at Psychonomics conferences—the annual international conference in cognitive psychology—and participated in a separate research lab within the psychology department.

Chrobak emphasized that Braun ranks among the top 1% of students he has known during his 14+ years of teaching at UWO's psychology department. He believes her commitment to becoming a strong researcher and teacher will significantly benefit her students and the broader Wisconsin community.

Maria Zaragoza, professor and chair of Kent State University’s department of psychological sciences, served as Braun’s major adviser during her Ph.D. studies. She described Braun as an “accomplished researcher, outstanding teacher and superb administrator.” Zaragoza highlighted Braun’s early career achievements including published journal articles, conference presentations, and teaching experience across various formats while completing her dissertation as a visiting assistant professor at Oberlin College.

As a graduate student leader, Braun held roles on committees and several elected positions as a student representative. Notably, she served on a dean’s search committee and was twice elected president of the Graduate Association of Students in Psychology.

Reflecting on her academic journey at UWO, Braun expressed pride in graduating with honors despite initial struggles as a transfer student unsure about her direction. A general psychology course reignited her academic interests upon returning to UWO after taking two years off.

For two years as an undergraduate researcher under Quin Chrobak's guidance, she investigated factors affecting eyewitness testimony accuracy—a study forming the basis for her dissertation later published in Applied Cognitive Psychology. Additionally, she collaborated with Sarah Kucker on examining learning influences; their work on children’s ability to generalize known words won recognition at UWO’s Celebration of Scholarship before being published in Child Development.

“I would not be where I am today without the support of Dr. Chrobak and Dr. Kucker,” said Braun. She credited them for believing in her potential and contributing significantly to her success both during grad school and securing her position at UW-Platteville supervising undergraduate research.