DR. WILLIAM NASBY

Dr. William Nasby received his Ph.D. in Personality and Development/Applied Multivariate Statistics from Harvard University in 1980 and his B.A. in Psychology from Brown University in 1975. His subject-matter expertise spans a wide range of psychological subfields, including Personality, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology (especially social cognition), Evolutionary Psychology, the Psychology of Emotion, Cognitive Experimental Psychology (especially the interactions between affect and cognition), and Clinical Psychology (notably major depression, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, PTSD, and the evaluation of treatment outcome and therapeutic process). In addition, Dr. Nasby has attained professional recognition for his expertise in Multivariate Statistics, Psychological Assessment (clinical and personality), Psychometrics (psychological measurement as well as test construction and evaluation), and Research Design/Methodology.

With over 20 years of experience as a professor, first at a major university and then at a doctoral program in clinical psychology (APA-accredited), Dr. Nasby received numerous awards for excellence and innovation both in teaching and in research. His teaching awards include courses in Personality (Theory, Research, and Assessment), Psychological Assessment, Psychology as a Social Science, the Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior, Research Methodology, Introductory Statistics, Intermediate Statistics, Multivariate Statistics, and Alternative Methodologies.

Dr. Nasby has successfully mentored and chaired the dissertation committees of over 100 graduate students, and for many other students he has served as a committee member primarily in the role of Research Methodologist and Statistical Expert. In addition, Dr. Nasby has published over 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals (many co-authored with his former students and many of which have now attained status as "citation classics"). Almost all of his publications have appeared in top-ranked psychology journals, and cover the full range of his subject-matter expertise. Numerous peer reviews have evaluated his research publications as "methodologically elegant and sophisticated."

In addition to his quantitative studies, Dr. Nasby has also become recognized for his contributions to single case methodology in personality and lifespan developmental research. Most notably, Dr. Nasby co-authored a book with one of his graduate students, The life voyage of a solo circumnavigator: Integrating theoretical and methodological perspectives, which appeared as a special issue of the Journal of Personality in 1997. Hailed as "the new gold standard of case study research" in personality and "a model of how lives should be studied," the book reported a 10-year-long, qualitative and quantitative investigation of Dodge Morgan, a highly successful business leader and entrepreneur, who in 1985-1986 completed a record-breaking, solo circumnavigation of the world under sail.

Publication of this study, which attracted the attention of several entrepreneurs, led to funding that allowed Dr. Nasby to co-found in 1997 the Character and Personality Research Institute, where he served as Chief Executive and Research Director for over 12 years. The research institute, a nonprofit organization, studies leadership, applying the mixed (qualitative and quantitative) methodology used with Dodge Morgan. More specifically, the institute conducts five-year intensive case studies and analyses of leaders excelling in their fields, providing in exchange training, education, and mentorship. Participants, currently numbering almost 100, include exemplary leaders, mostly from the business and corporate arenas. As such, Dr. Nasby’s expertise now extends to Industrial/Organizational Psychology (including not only all aspects of leadership, but also executive development and performance, management training, entrepreneurship, and performance appraisal and improvement).

Recently retired and seeking to apply both his subject-matter expertise and his extensive knowledge of quantitative and qualitative methodologies gained from careers that span both academia and business, Dr. Nasby once again advises and mentors graduate students in the design, implementation, and completion of their dissertations. Beyond communicating and sharing his expertise and knowledge, Dr. Nasby adds the personal touch: As a psychologist, he recognizes and reduces the anxiety, frustration, stress, and uncertainty that surround the dissertation process, always seeking to ensure the student’s progress toward the ultimate goal.