JOSEPH MCFALL, Ph.D.
Managing Director of Data and Science

Dr. Joseph McFall is joining Children’s Institute after serving as Department Chairperson and Associate Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York at Fredonia. As a SUNY graduate and first-generation college student, Dr. McFall gratefully recognizes the transformative power that access to high-quality education has for personal growth and social change. As a faculty member, he was heavily involved in general education leadership, program assessment and curriculum rejuvenation, and generating insights from institutional and student opinion data to help be part of the solution to the many challenges facing public education.

Interested in applied cognition during everyday life, Dr. McFall’s research interests have included problem-solving effectiveness, decision-making outcomes, and transition into adulthood. Some of his recent publications have questioned the utility of existing tools for measuring adulthood markers and dimensions. New studies are needed to ensure more representativeness in research, while using analytical approaches that allow divergence of conclusions to emerge as more voices are included. Dr. McFall is currently co-leading an international research collaborative on emerging adulthood with the goal of diversifying perspectives and facilitating culture exchange on understanding behavioral and attitudinal trends that impact emerging adults’ health, wellbeing, and participation in society. 

Dr. McFall values playing an active role in professional organizations and developing relationships within the community. He was recently elected as Member-at-Large for Division 1 of the American Psychological Association, serves on the Metascience committee for the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science, and is an Assistant Editor for the journal Emerging Adulthood. He is past President and Board member for the Dunkirk-Fredonia Rotary, member of the Marion Art Gallery Advisory Board, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Womens’ Christian Association Home in Fredonia and the Dunkirk Walk to End Alzheimer’s planning committee. 

Prior to SUNY Fredonia, Dr. McFall taught at Syracuse University. He earned his Ph.D. at West Virginia University, birthplace of the discipline of lifespan development psychology. At WVU, he developed interests in program evaluation approaches, mixed methods research, and community engagement in research. Appreciating the contextual nature of human development, Dr. McFall is excited to use hierarchical and complex data modeling techniques in collaboration with Children’s Institute scholars to explore the levels of influence surrounding children’s socioemotional and physical well-being.