Susan Fisk
Department of Sociology and Criminology
Professor and Graduate Coordinator
Campus:
Kent
Office Location:
Room 302 Merrill Hall
Biography
Susan R. Fisk is Professor of Sociology and Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Sociology and Criminology. Her research examines how social-psychological processes contribute to inequality in educational and workplace settings, with particular focus on gender, occupational segregation, career-choice processes, and upward mobility. A central focus of her current work is understanding and developing interventions to broaden participation and persistence in computing and other STEM fields.
Her research has appeared in Social Psychology Quarterly, Computer Science Education, ACM Transactions on Computing Education, Teaching Sociology, and PLOS ONE, among other outlets. She has served as PI or Co-PI on multiple National Science Foundation projects focused on broadening participation in computing and reducing inequality. Her funded projects total more than $10.7 million in awarded funding, including more than $1.1 million awarded to Kent State
Dr. Fisk currently serves as Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Section on Social Psychology. Before joining Kent State, she worked on Google’s People Analytics team, where she conducted research related to workplace diversity and organizational practices.
Research and Teaching Interests
- Social Psychology
- Gender and Inequality
- Occupational Segregation and Career-Choice Processes
- Organizations and Work
- Status and Mobility
- Broadening Participation in STEM and Computing
- Quantitative Research Methods
Dr. Susan Fisk's CV, 2026
Education
Ph.D., Sociology, Stanford University, 2015
B.A., Economics & Public Policy (Highest Honors & Highest Distinction), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006
B.A., Economics & Public Policy (Highest Honors & Highest Distinction), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006
Expertise
Social Psychology
Inequalities (class/gender/race/ethnicity)
Inequalities (class/gender/race/ethnicity)
Publications
- Fisk et al. 2025. “Can Two Emails Improve Students’ Persistence in Computing? Evaluating the Effects of a Lightweight, Scalable Self-Assessment Intervention on Career-Relevant Attitudes and Behaviors.” Computer Science Education.
- Fisk et al. 2024. “Retaining Black Women in Computing: A Comparative Analysis of Interventions for Computing Persistence.” ACM Transactions on Computing Education 24(2): 1–25.
- Nousak, Samantha, Leanne Barry, and Susan R. Fisk. 2024. “Deepening Learning and Addressing Inequalities: A Psychosocial Approach to Improving Statistical Literacy Throughout Sociology Curricula.” Teaching Sociology.
- Munsch, Christin, Lindsey Trimble O’Connor, and Susan R. Fisk. 2024. “Gender and the Disparate Payoffs of Overwork.” Social Psychology Quarterly, 87(1): 22-43.
- Fisk, Susan R. and Jon Overton. 2019. “Who Wants to Lead? Anticipated Gender Discrimination Reduces Women’s Leadership Ambitions.” Social Psychology Quarterly, 82(3): 319-332
- Fisk, Susan R. 2018. “Who’s on Top? Gender Differences in Risk-Taking Produce Unequal Outcomes for High-Ability Women and Men.” Social Psychology Quarterly, 81(3): 185-206.
Awards/Achievements
- Chair, American Sociological Association Section on Social Psychology, 2026–2027
- Co-PI. National Science Foundation (NSF) Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC). “STARS Computing Corps: Extending a National Community of Practice for Developing BPC Change Leaders.” 2024 – 2029. $5.9M ($255k to KSU). Awarded 2024
- Article Recognition, ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 2024. Selected by the editorial board as one of the journal’s “most timely, compelling, and meritorious” articles of the year.
- Best Paper Award, Computing Education Research Track, ACM SIGCSE, 2023.
- Graduate Student Mentorship Award, given by the Sociology Graduate Students at Kent State University, 2020.
