Melissa Lea

Contact Information

Education

• PhD in Cognitive Science - Miami University (Ohio)
• M.A. in Psychology - Miami University (Ohio)
• B.S. in Cognitive Science - University of Michigan (Flint). 

Professional/Academic Experience

Dr. Lea is an academic advisor for the School of Psychological Sciences.  Previously, she was a tenured faculty member of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Assistant Dean of Student Success and Academic Advising at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.   Trained as a cognitive scientist, she has researched person perception, specifically the perceptual influences that affect familiarity and name recall.   

While at the University of Northern Colorado, she developed the first professional advising model for the psychology major.  She has since created an innovative career mentorship model for the psychology major and continues to develop early alert system to better support the School of Psychological Sciences students.   

Dr. Lea comes with a passion for working with first generation, transfer, underrepresented minorities, and Pell grant eligible students.

Research/Areas of Interest

Dr. Lea's current research is on developing services to best support students and help them remove those obstacles that keep them from finishing their degree.