Meet Dr. Ross Rogers

I am an Instructor in the Psychology Department at Virginia Tech. I am a first-generation student from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a steel and mining city nestled in the Allegheny Mountains region of western Pennsylvania. Before moving to Blacksburg and joining the Psychology Department at Virginia Tech, I earned my BA and MS at Shippensburg University, worked in a social psychology research lab at the University of Kansas, earned my PhD at Ohio University, and worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at Colby College.

The opportunity to teach (serve) engaged students as a part of a thriving department brought me to Virginia Tech.

As an Instructor, my primary focus is teaching, but topics I have been passionate about throughout my career have revolved around how human awareness of mortality motivates pursuits of meaning (perceptions of coherent purposeful existence) and self-esteem (perceptions of personal value and significance).

Humans strive for meaning and self-esteem sometimes in ways that promote both ourselves and others to flourish but sometimes in ways that bring harm to both ourselves and others.

Chatting with students about social psychology!

My wonderful parents are inspiring exemplars of both hard work and authenticity.

My PhD mentor once commented, ‘Everything takes longer than you think it will. Plan accordingly’.

A quotation from the 1995 film Apollo 13, ‘Let’s work the problem, people. Let’s not make things worse by guessing.’

I became interested in science at the start of undergraduate study. I gobbled up all the psychology, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology courses I could.

Playing drums!

Saturn, but realistically, the Scottish Highlands.

I was a high jumper in college.