ABOUT US

Alison Miller, Ph.D., owner and founder of “The Dissertation Coach.”

For almost a decade, Alison has been coaching students to finish doctoral dissertations and master’s theses. She developed the strategic, structured approach that all of our coaches use to motivate and guide students to the finish line. Alison is the author of Finish Your Dissertation Once and For All: How to Overcome Psychological Barriers, Get Results, and Move On with Your Life (available December 15, 2008) published by the American Psychological Association. She frequently leads dissertation and thesis workshops and has worked with thousands of graduate students individually, in groups, and workshops

Alison has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cornell University. She is also the owner of Life Essentials, a company that offers life coaching and corporate seminars and workshops. For more information, visit: www.lifeessentialscoaching.com

Alison is a frequent contributor to Fox News in the Morning in Chicago and her work has been featured in many publications including Crain’s Business, The Chicago Tribune, WGN radio, and Time Out Magazine.

Alison is passionate about coaching graduate students. Her clients benefit from her direct yet gentle approach to helping them identify and change beliefs, emotions, and behaviors that interfere with their dissertation or thesis progress. Alison strives to create collaborative coaching relationships of safety and openness that help her clients overcome barriers and learn tangible skills that will benefit them beyond the experience of earning their graduate degree.

Colleen Halliday-Boykins, PhD, Managing Director, dissertation coach and consultant

Colleen holds a doctoral degree in psychology from University of California, Los Angeles with a minor in measurement and statistics. Since completion of her degree, she has held a faculty appointment at the Medical University of South Carolina in a division devoted to real-world research with children, adolescents and their families She has an extensive background in empirical research, having authored several empirical articles in leading journals, including many first author pieces, having received federal funding to complete her own research, and having designed and implemented several other research projects of varying levels of complexity. She has also served on the editorial and as ad hoc reviewer for scientific journals. Colleen is proficient in quantitative data analysis, methodological rigor, research synthesis and academic writing. As a well-rounded researcher, she is able to consult with students regarding all aspects of the thesis and dissertation process, from identifying a topic developing a problem statement, designing methodology, writing literature reviews and proposals to analyzing the data, writing the method and result sections, synthesizing and interpreting the findings, and addressing committee feedback. Colleen has advised, mentored and consulted with students in a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, education, human services, social work, health administration and business administration. She has excellent mentoring skills and a passion for helping students achieve their academic and professional goals.

David Kaiser, PhD, dissertation coach

Dave Kaiser earned a dual Ph.D. in Linguistics and Slavic Languages from the University of Chicago and is certified coach through The Coaches Training Institute. He is an independent executive coach and consultant in the Chicago area, and he volunteers at the Career Transition Center of Chicago. He presents workshops on emotional intelligence, conflict management and building confidence during stressful times. While at the University of Chicago, Dave started a seminar on doctoral research methodology for senior level graduate students. Dave is a highly effective dissertation coach who helps student identify an engaging direction for their dissertation work and coaches them be more effective at time management and goal-setting while working through procrastination and other emotional blocks to finishing their dissertations.

Jill Blackwell, Ph.D., dissertation coach and consultant

Jill obtained her Ph.D. in Experimental/Developmental Psychology from the Department of Psychology at DePaul University. She is currently serving as Visiting Associate Professor of Psychology at a local university in Chicago. She teaches research methods I, II, III, and has served as faculty advisor to numerous students who have completed their research projects. Her research interests span the fields of health psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and biological/social psychology. She has experience providing guidance from project inception, hypothesis development, selecting and developing appropriate research methods, and analyzing and interpreting data. She has served as peer review/editor, providing constructive advice, for numerous scientific journals. She is compassionate and positive and can provide problem solving assistance to any student.

Chang-ming Hsieh Ph.D., dissertation consultant (specializing in statistical analysis)

Chang-ming received his master’s degree from Columbia University and Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently an associate professor of social work at a local university in Chicago where he teaches graduate-level introductory and advanced research methods.  His main areas of expertise include applied quantitative methods. As a highly skilled data analyst and methodologist, he has been working with students and faculty members on dissertations and research projects across disciplines in social and behavioral sciences for nearly a decade. Clients consistently describe Chang-ming as a “true teacher” and acknowledge him for his ability to explain complex statistics in easy to understand terms and helping students develop a thorough understanding of the statistical approach they use in their research.  Chang-ming can assist students in any stage of the research process whether students are at the proposal phase or writing the final study. In addition, he is very effective at helping students address the feedback and comments of committee members before or after their final defense meeting.

Marisha Humphries Ph.D., dissertation coach

Marisha received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is an assistant professor at a local university in Chicago and a licensed clinical psychologist. She has been conducting research in the areas of children’s emotional and social competence, and prosocial behavior for over 10 years. She has experience implementing basic developmental research, clinical validity studies, and clinical prevention research within school environments. She has presented at her work at national conferences and has published research articles in professional journals. Marisha has experience conducting longitudinal clinical research, observational coding, focus groups, surveys, and individual interviews with both children and adults. Marisha provides mentoring within the context of an emotionally supportive environment. She helps students with goal identification and then assists them in identifying actual and potential barriers that can prevent them from reaching their goals. She is committed to helping students find their personal path to completing their graduate education in a timely manner.

Katie England, M.P.A., developmental and copy editor

Katie England received her Master's in Public Affairs from Indiana University (IU) in 2003 and her bachelor degree in history and political science from Alma College in Michigan. She was awarded the Outstanding Paper Award at the regional meeting of Phi Alpha Theta in 2001. While a graduate student at IU, she worked as a developmental editor for Writing Tutorial Services. Since 2003, Katie has worked in the environmental field, first as a program analyst with the Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago, and currently, as an environmental manager with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's small business environmental assistance Program in Indianapolis. She is a Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP) and her interests include public policy, accounting, auditing, performance management, and the humanities. Katie offers copy and developmental editing for clients of The Dissertation Coach and freelance editing for The Bloomington Alternative.

Dr. Erick D. Taylor, dissertation consultant

Erika Taylor obtained her Ph.D. in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan and is currently a Research and Evaluation Specialist at Brown University. She has more than a decade of experience in research and program evaluation, and has participated in an array of projects in both education and public health. As a result, Erika is experienced with quantitative and qualitative data collection, survey instrument development, and large-scale data analysis. Her research interests include social influences on academic achievement, educational equity, and the psychological experience of African-American adolescents in school. She has published journal articles and presented her work at national conferences. In addition, Erika has served as a consultant for community-based programs, providing external evaluation design, implementation and reporting support, as well as technical assistance around internal program evaluation. Erika has also worked with college and high school students in varied capacities, including teaching, writing and general academic support. She has especially enjoyed collaborating with students on an individual basis, and welcomes continued opportunities to provide support in this manner.

Priya Shimpi, PhD, dissertation coach

Priya obtained her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Chicago. She is currently a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her main area of study is language development from infancy through early childhood, with a focus on the influence of social and cultural factors driving individual differences. Her research has been presented at numerous international conferences and has been published in some of the top journals in the field. For 5 years, she taught graduate courses in Language and Cognitive Development. In addition, she worked for an intensive one-year Social Science graduate program as an advisor, where she guided dozens of M.A. students in Psychology and Education through the completion of their degrees. As a teacher and graduate advisor, she has helped students develop and investigate original research questions while completing a full course load. Priya is particularly sensitive to the needs of clients who work and/or are raising children while trying to complete their degrees. She enjoys making the challenge of completing a thesis more manageable while helping her students to achieve a positive work/life balance.

Stephanie Latkovski, Ph.D., dissertation coach and consultant

Stephanie Latkovski has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Indiana University. Currently an independent consultant and grant writer, Stephanie has extensive experience in foreign language education and study abroad programs. As Associate Dean of the College at the University of Chicago, Stephanie recruited, trained and supervised graduate students as faculty assistants for study abroad programs. Throughout her career, Stephanie has coached graduate students in humanities and social sciences through various phases of graduate school, from the application and grant-seeking phase to interviewing for tenure-track positions. She has helped graduate students identify and narrow research topics, clarify the scope of a project, and offer a sounding board for studies to be included in the review of literature. Stephanie has taught French and Spanish on the secondary level, as well as linguistics and writing on the university level. In 2006-07, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English as a second language and modern American literature in Ukraine. Stephanie has studied several languages, traveled extensively, and has worked with many students from other countries who need advice navigating the American system. Stephanie also advises post-doc junior faculty needing support for tenure-track advancement.

Jeremy Taylor, dissertation consultant (specializing in statistical analysis)

Jeremy Taylor worked for 7 years in statistical analysis, data management, and research methodology, consulting and teaching for the last three. In addition to consulting for The Dissertation Coach, Jeremy currently serves as Data Management and Analysis Team Coordinator for DePaul University's Stress and Coping Project and a part-time Child and Family Therapist at DePaul Family and Community Services. Analytic techniques Jeremy has expertise in include: hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), structural equation modeling (SEM), cluster analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, regression, moderator analysis, mediator analysis, factor analysis, specificity analysis, ANOVA, t-tests, as well as most non-parametric statistical techniques and basic descriptive statistics. Jeremy prides himself on offering thorough analysis, while equipping his clients with the understanding of their data they need to confidently stand in front of their committee or their next professional conference. For technology minded clients, video tutorials and live remote demonstrations may also be available.

Brett M. Baden Ph.D., dissertation consultant (specializing in empirical analysis)

Brett Baden received his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. He is an applied economist, working as the Senior Policy Analyst at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (a joint federal/state agency). Dr. Baden has taught economics and statistical analysis to undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, economics, policy, and planning programs. His primary area of focus has been in applied urban, environmental, and regional economics, and he has written numerous papers on a variety of topics that have been prepared for peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and the private sector. One of his specialties has been obtaining and using non-academic data for analysis; he has assembled and analyzed both very small and very large datasets, frequently from different types of data and different sources. In addition to his expertise in economic analysis and applied statistical and econometric work, he has also worked extensively in epidemiology, meta-analysis, and spatial analysis. Dr. Baden can assist students in any stage of the research process from the proposal phase through to the preparation for their defense. He can be helpful in identifying the appropriate scale for dissertation work, performing a review and analysis of the literature, generating testable hypotheses, collecting and managing data, analyzing the data, and using geographic information systems (GIS) to display it, and writing up the final results. He can also be helpful in addressing and interpreting committee member input, and can assist the student in being prepared for interactions with their committee.

Kristine Jones, PhD, dissertation consultant

Kristine Jones is an experienced qualitative field researcher and has written numerous technical reports, grant proposals, and articles in her academic discipline. As faculty member at several private and public universities, both in the U. S. and in Latin America, she directed numerous theses and dissertations with graduate students in history, public health, and the social sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in Latin American and Native American History from the University of Chicago and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, has received NEH, SSRC and Fulbright grants for archival and ethnographic research in Argentina and Chile, and was a Fulbright Professor in History in Chile. As a consultant, she enjoys helping students to narrow and clarify their research problem, structure arguments, identify optimal methodological approaches, prepare proposals for IRB approval, interpret and synthesize research findings, respond to committee concerns, and produce polished final drafts. She understands the importance of having a non-judgmental sounding board to help work through problems and analyze qualitative research results in the fundamentally creative process of completing an original research project.

Joy Koesten, PhD, dissertation consultant

Joy holds a doctoral degree in communication studies from The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Joy has a strong background in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodology studies. She has been the primary investigator in numerous research studies including projects in family communication, interpersonal development, adolescent health, cognitive development, cognitive flexibility, communication competence, social networks and academic performance, and stress and burnout. Her research has been published in Health Communication, Communication Monographs, Journal of Family Communication, Applied Journal of Communication, Communication Education, Communication Studies, and The Journal for Financial Planning. Her current interests are focused on exploring and understanding how communication within the family and the systems within which they function (i.e. work, school, community), affects health and health decisions across the lifespan.

Over the years Joy has served as assistant dean of the Graduate School and adjunct faculty in the Communication Studies Department at the University of Kansas. She has also served as assistant research professor in the Department of Family Medicine at The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas and as a faculty member in the Department of Communication at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Joy is currently an adjunct professor at The University of Kansas where she teaches graduate courses research methods, health communication, interpersonal and organizational communication. She continues to serve as a thesis and dissertation advisor at The University of Kansas (Lawrence, Edwards, and Medical Center campuses).