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Erin Sparks Ward grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana, where her family moved when her father got a job at Purdue University when she was five years old. Erin graduated from West Lafayette High School in 1999 and went on to earn a double major in Mathematics and Psychology at the University of Chicago. After graduating, she returned to West Lafayette and worked for several years at the Center of Advancement of Transportation Safety, which is housed within Purdue's Civil Engineering Department. There, she analyzed Indiana traffic safety data and prepared reports for the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while also developing and implementing evaluations for Indiana’s statewide impaired driving campaign. Erin later returned to school to earn her PhD in Social Psychology from Florida State University, where she also met her husband. After convincing him to leave the warm weather of Florida and return to West Lafayette, she took a position in 2012 as a lecturer in Purdue's Department of Psychological Sciences. Over the years, she has become a passionate member of the Purdue community, emphasizing undergraduate education and addressing sensitive issues in her courses, particularly in the area of Stereotyping and Prejudice. She became a Senior Lecturer in 2019 and now lives with her husband and two sons in a neighborhood close to her parents and relatives.
Purdue University • West Lafayette, IN
Teaches undergraduate courses in psychology, focusing on Stereotyping and Prejudice.
GRE is not required.