Dr. Jessica Cundiff, associate professor of psychological science, has been named director of faculty success for faculty affairs at 0.50 FTE, effective Aug. 1.

She will lead efforts in faculty recruitment and retention, mentoring and leadership development, and initiatives that strengthen faculty success and workplace climate.

Cundiff joined Missouri S&T in 2015 and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in social psychology, social influence, general psychology and psychology of gender. Her research focuses on psychological processes that contribute to social inequality, with an emphasis on subtle and often unintentional bias. She recently served as principal investigator on a $1 million NSF ADVANCE grant aimed at making Missouri S&T a destination of choice for all faculty.

Her honors include the Faculty Teaching Award, the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education and the Faculty Excellence Award. She was inducted into the S&T Women’s Hall of Fame in 2022 and was named S&T Woman of the Year in 2025.

Cundiff holds a Ph.D. in social psychology and women’s studies and a master’s degree in social psychology from The Pennsylvania State University, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.