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Lab Director: Kaylee Litson, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Houston
klitson@uh.edu
https://www.uh.edu/class/psychology/about/people/kaylee-litson/index.php
Dr. Kaylee Litson is an Assistant Professor at University of Houston and is the Director of the Interdisciplinary Quantitative Research Methods Lab, and describes their work as follows:"The IQRM lab was built as a way to connect people and ideas across areas in psychology, sociology, health, and organizational research with strong interest in methodology and research design. As an interdisciplinary quantitative psychologist, my research bridges psychology, education, industry, and health, and navigating these seemingly different areas has informed much of the methodology work I prioritize. My expertise lies in the development and application of structural equation models using constructively defined latent variables, particularly in relation to longitudinal and multimethod/multimodal design, but my focus extends beyond technical modeling. I develop methods that bridge the measurement of latent processes to their substantive meaning, grounding statistical tools in explicit philosophical and theoretical perspectives, including psychometric and validity theories. Substantively, I study how so-called “soft skills” shape the workforce trajectories of graduating PhDs, I have begun engaging in work on what and how building professional networks impacts career outcomes, and I collaborate on projects spanning educational development, career pathways, cognitive measurement, and impacts of ecological systems changes (e.g., neighborhood gentrification, transition from school-to-workforce) on individuals and their perceptions of items, measures, and constructs in across occasions and in different cultures. I use and build on methods such as measurement invariance, latent interaction effects, and model fit interpretation to inform my work. Across these areas, my research aims to build tools that explain—not just estimate—how complex individuals and systems evolve over time through theoretically grounded, systematic methodology. Professionally, I have published in journals such as Psychological Methods, Structural Equation Modeling, Research in Higher Education, Journal of Educational Psychology, Career Development International, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."
Romi Penheiro
Graduate Research Assistant
Romi is a third-year Clinical Psychology graduate student whose research interests include: Cognitive impairment, psychometrics of tests, aging.
Navrose Bajwa
PhD Student, Graduate Research Assistant
Navrose is a second-year I-O Psychology graduate student whose research interests include creativity, networking behaviors, technology and measurement. Navrose aspires to research diverse employee populations and industries.
Kalifa Thomas
Graduate Research Assistant
Kalifa is a fifth-year I-O Psychology graduate student whose research Interests include: Individual Differences, Career Success & Development, Assessment & Selection, Recruitment and Fit. Kalifa holds an MBA in Business Analytics and M.A. Psychology. Kalifa is currently working on her dissertation on Values Fit and Applicant Attraction to Organizations.
Tong Xiao
Incoming Graduate Research Assistant
Tong Xiao is a first year I/O Ph.D. student. Her research interests are sleep, leadership, employee well-being, career development, and advanced research methods. She welcome communications and collaborations with people who share similar research interests. She hopes to pursue an academic career after her Ph.D. studies. During her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, painting, writing, and traveling. Follow Tong on LinkedIn!
Ally St. Aubin
Affiliated Lab Member
Ally is a fourth-year I-O Psychology graduate student whose research interests include: Leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion, well-being, efficiency, technology, learning, and career advancement. Follow Ally on Linkedin! Fun fact: I love escape rooms!
Chia-hao Hsu
Affiliated Lab Member
Chia-hao is a fourth-year I-O Psychology graduate student whose research interests include: Occupational health psychology/ Leadership/ Work-life interface/ Cross-cultural psychology.
Valerie Bambha
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Valerie Bambha is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow whose research interests include STEM motivation, persistence and resilience over academic and career trajectories, mentorship, and creativity.Dr. Bambha also works in the Developing Systems Lab!
Team Building & Lab Events
Fall 2025: Shrek The Musical & Dinner
Summer 2025: IQRM Lab at International Meeting of the Psychometric Society
Spring 2025: Lab Escape Room
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