Faculty and Staff Directory

Introduction

As a social psychologist I study stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination focusing on how intersections of social categories (e.g., gender X race) jointly affect perceptions of others and the experiences of people belonging to underrepresented groups (e.g., stigmatization and discrimination). I received a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004, and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 2011. Before arriving at UWT in 2018, I was an Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Southeast. 

Current Research

My scholarship focuses on how stereotypes guide judgments of, memory for, and behavior directed at members of marginalized groups. In my primary line of research, I investigate experiences of intersectional invisibility, a form of oppression, including not being remembered, differentiated from others, or given recognition for contributions (in the workplace, school, and everyday life) that is experienced by people with multiple stigmatized identities. In my research I have sought to document 1) invisibility effects from the perceiver’s perspective (Sesko & Biernat, 2010), 2) factors that lead to and reduce invisibility (Sesko & Biernat, 2018; Sternberg et al., 2024), 3) downstream consequences of invisibility (e.g., in the workplace, Biernat & Sesko, 2013), and 4) experiences of invisibility (for health, well-being, academic success, and belonging Sesko & Biernat, 2025; Sesko et al., under review; and in a scale validation project, Sesko et al., under review).

I have also conducted equity focused research in applied and community settings. For example, I am a Co-PI on two National Science Foundation funded programs that promote access in STEM for low-income students at UWT. 

For more information about my research, get up-to-date access to a list of publications on orcid.org. 

Teaching

Throughout my career I have supported undergraduate research and taught a broad range of courses in psychology, including teaching and developing courses in the Gender and Sexuality Studies Minor. 

Sample of courses offered (*designates a course I teach often):
Friends, Enemies, and Intimates (TPSYCH 402)*
Fundamentals of Psychological Research I (TPSYCH 209)*
Fundamentals of Psychological Research II (TPSYCH 309)*
Human Sexuality (TPSYCH 202)*
Introduction to Psychology (TPSYCH 101)
Psychology of Gender (TPSYCH 400)*
Social Psychology (TPSYCH 240)
Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination (TPSYCH 345)