Michael Siepmann, PhD

I combine industry experience in technology design, depth and breadth of expertise in scientific psychology, and practical psychological insight.

My nine years of study and research in psychological science started at the University of Stirling in Scotland and culminated in a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania—one of the top-ranked psychology departments in the world and the home of the Positive Psychology Center. The unusual flexibility of Penn’s doctoral program enabled me to work with two dissertation advisers – judgment and decision-making psychologist Jonathan Baron and social psychologist John Sabini – while also receiving rigorous training in clinical psychology that broadened my perspective and expertise.

I subsequently joined the Human Factors Engineering group at CenturyLink (formerly Qwest), where for over a decade I designed, evaluated, and usability-tested user interfaces for a diverse range of technologies including:

• Complex web applications used by employees and by wholesale, enterprise, and government customers
• Consumer web sites, applications, portals, and portal widgets
• A TV remote control, an interactive IPTV system, and a TV call and voice mail management system
• Installation instructions and packaging for DSL Internet service
• An Android mobile app with location-based features and a mobile-optimized “my account” web site

I complement my scientific knowledge of psychology with mindfulness meditation practice (which I’ve been practicing since long before it became trendy) and have been helped immensely in this by the groundbreaking work and teaching of Shinzen Young, whose contributions now include an excellent app called Brightmind.