Member Spotlight: Fred Oswald

Name
Fred Oswald

Position/Employer
Professor, Rice University, Department of Psychological Sciences

How long have you been a SIOP member?
25 years - time really flies, I tell you!

What roles have you had within SIOP?
I've been honored to serve as SIOP President (2017-18) and prior to that having served on the Executive Board as the Research and Science Portfolio Officer, (2014-16). Also, I've chaired the Scientific Affairs Committee (2012-14) and have served on numerous awards committees and task forces prior to that. SIOP is remarkable for the strong engagement, collaborations, contributions, and mentorship and support of its members. I am very proud to be a card-carrying member of SIOP, excited to continue contributing to and promoting our terrific profession.

Interest area(s)
Personnel selection, psychometrics, AI and machine learning, open science

What sparked your interest in I-O psychology?
The spark was a course in individual differences that I took as an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin. The course opened my eyes to the nature and usefulness of psychological measures -- and the fact there was an occupation called I-O psychology that developed, evaluated, and implemented these measures in organizations. This professor then taught a course in I-O psychology, where I further appreciated how the field takes a scientific approach that ultimately and positively influences workers, the workforce, and the workplace. From that, I was intrigued enough to apply to graduate school in I-O psychology, knowing that there was so much more to be learned.

What role do you see I-O psychology playing in the future of work?
As many of us know firsthand, I-O psychology is influencing the workforce and the future of work in so many important ways. As a field, we should commit to increasing both the breadth of expertise and intensity of commitment to that influence. I'll give you one example from my corner of the world of I-O psychology. As a member of the SIOP Ad Hoc Task Force on AI-Based Assessments (Chris Nye, Chair), we produced a report titled "Considerations and Recommendations for the Validation and Use of AI–Based Assessments for Employee Selection" (Jan 2023). Because of this document and SIOP's continued engagement on these fronts with EEOC, the federal government and many other external parties involved in AI-assessment appreciate that the expertise of I-O psychologists is essential for informing the fair and effective use of AI-based employment tests.

What work trends are you seeing and hearing about and how can I-O psychology practitioners, educators, and students impact these trends?
First, I'll give SIOP high praise for surveying the membership for their impression of rising work trends. There is wisdom in the crowds, and every year I look forward to hearing the results of its survey. Second, I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the influence of AI and large language models on work. There are so many AI-oriented tools being developed and used in organizations, and I-O psychology should continue to lend its critical research and practice insights into these tools (e.g., tool design, implementation, refinement, interpretation, fairness, legality). Third, to impact future work trends, SIOP members need to work externally, whether it's in their communities or at the national or international level. SIOP has many opportunities to help members be engaged in this way (e.g., the Government Relations Advocacy Taskforce; the UN Taskforce). Get involved!

What advice would you give to students or those early in their career?
Be proactive, whether it is exploring the field of I-O psychology widely to understand those areas that are most interesting to you (and those that are not); seeking mentors and supportive colleagues, whether in graduate school, at work, or at SIOP (even if you are not an extrovert); and pushing forward on your research and projects one day at a time (because the days add up!).

What is one of your favorite SIOP Annual Conference memories/highlights?
A recent memory is the 2022 SIOP Annual Conference in Seattle, where Tara Behrend and Richard Landers randomly approached (ambushed?) SIOP Annual Conference attendees (including myself) to livestream impressions of the conference. That was hilarious -- but also informative, where members reveal the great informational and social value that the SIOP conference provides for all of us, every year.

Please share one non-I-O-related bit of information about yourself.
Just one? OK. I love to take hikes with Beth, my wife, and I only wish we lived in a hikeable city (note: we live in Houston). But hey, that's what vacations are for.

Is there anything you would like to add?
A final message is to encourage I-O psychologists reading this to reach out to and support others in the field, and for graduate students to reach out to us. Thank you for the opportunity for me to walk into the bright Member Spotlight!

Editor’s Note: Fred Oswald will be one of the Fireside Chat Speakers at the Aug. 14 Work Smart Series event, Understanding and Evaluating AI Solutions.

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