College of Education & Human Sciences (EHS)

Dr. Emily Abel is an Assistant Professor in Public Health and completed her PhD in Human Development and Family Science from Purdue University in 2022. Dr. Abel has extensive training in pediatric sleep health, developmental assessment, and developmental disabilities. Her research is broadly focused on measuring, understanding, and promoting sleep health for autistic children and their families. Most recently, Dr. Abel's work is focused on increasing accessibility in sleep research for autistic children and their family using tele-health approaches to sleep measurement (non-invasive, remote monitoring). In this work, she aims to improve equity in recruitment strategies and develop opportunities for children and caregivers to determine what improvement in sleep and quality of life looks like for them.

Dr. Abel is passionate about promoting access to sleep resources and research opportunities for children with developmental disabilities and families in the state of Oklahoma and beyond.

Dr. Abel is accepting undergraduate research assistants for Spring 2026 in the Researching Equitable Sleep Together (REST) Lab on the Stillwater campus.

Dr. Abel is accepting graduate students for Fall 2026 for the Community Health Sciences PhD program. Students who are interested in sleep health research, especially those interested in pediatric sleep, family health, or the intersection of sleep and disability, are encouraged to email Dr. Abel (emily.abel@okstate.edu). 

Our research investigates how metabolic regulation shapes the body’s capacity to regenerate tissues, with a primary focus on the heart and skeletal muscle. We examine how energy metabolism reprogramming influences regenerative capability after injury, and how metabolic alterations associated with obesity and diabetes hinder this process. By integrating animal models with interdisciplinary collaborations, our team aims to identify novel metabolic pathways that can be targeted to develop innovative therapies for heart disease, metabolic disorders, and muscle injuries.

I am an associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, Applied Health, and Recreation and director of the Musculoskeletal Adaptations to Aging and eXercise lab (MAAX). My research team regularly uses imaging tools, surveys, and functional tests to help us better understand bone and muscle health across the lifespan. We also regularly test performance, sleep quality, dietary needs, endocrine function, and injury risk in athletes and first responders. I also hold the following affiliations:

I am a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine - https://acsm.org/

I maintain my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist distinction from the National Strength and Conditioning Association - www.nsca.com

I am an affiliate of OSU's Human Performance and Nutrition Research Institute - https://go.okstate.edu/hpnri

Research Interests:

Exercise, injury prevention, and musculoskeletal health in the following cohorts:
Athletes (college and professional)
Aging adults (healthy and clinical)
Tactical (military, first-responders, police etc...)

Lynn M. Boorady is currently a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Oklahoma State University. Prior to that, she was the founding chair of the Fashion and Textile Technology department at Buffalo State University. 

She is a Fulbright Scholar, prolific designer and invited speaker in her areas of expertise which include personal protective equipment, issues in sizing and fit as well as 3D body scanning. She is currenlty the Advisor of the United States Department of Agriculture sponsored NC-170 Research team which focuses on personal protective technologies for current and emerging occupational hazards. Dr. Boorady has written numerous refereed publications as well as being an active presenter and keynote speaker at professional conferences both nationally and internationally. 

She previously held positions as Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri and was the founding chair of the Fashion Department at the American University in Dubai. She has been a visiting professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester Fashion Institute in Manchester, U.K.

Research Interests:

Personal Protective Equipment

I am a Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology, Applied Health, and Recreation. I teach Recreation and Athletic Management courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. I focus on outdoor recreation, facilitation, and community events.

My research interests include how recreation can foster community, aid in life transitions, increase participant engagement in large event settings, and improve the quality of life for veterans recently separated from the military. 

Jillian Caldwell Carpenter is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Oklahoma State University. Her research focuses on strengthening and promoting healthy relationships to enhance well-being for at-risk or underserved populations, including first responders, members of the military, veterans, and disaster survivors. She earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and her MS and PhD from Oklahoma State University. She joined the faculty of Oklahoma State University in 2022, where she teaches future human service professionals as they learn to serve and support others.

Research Interests:

Areas of focus: Family adaptation to trauma, crises, and adversity; family relationships, health, and well-being; disaster and conflict; family resilience; theory construction; measurement; integration of theory and research

Populations: first responders, military, veterans, disaster survivors, individuals with disabilities

Dr. Tilanka Chandrasekera is Professor of Interior Design in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Oklahoma State University, where he serves as Associate Department Head, Program Coordinator for the Interior Design Program, and Director of the Mixed Reality Lab. He holds the distinguished Christine Salmon Endowed Professorship and leads pioneering, interdisciplinary research at the nexus of design, emerging technologies, and human experience.

A licensed architect from Sri Lanka, Dr. Chandrasekera earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and a Ph.D. in Architectural Studies from the University of Missouri–Columbia, where his doctoral research advanced the use of tangible user interfaces in design education.

Before entering academia, he practiced architecture both independently and with leading firms in Sri Lanka, developing a diverse portfolio of work spanning high-rise developments, hotels, wildlife parks, zoological spaces, and custom housing. His dual background as a practitioner and scholar grounds his research in both theoretical rigor and real-world application.

Dr. Chandrasekera is internationally recognized for advancing the role of digital media in design research and education. His scholarship integrates Virtual and Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, psychophysiological measurement, and computational methods to explore how design can foster creativity, cognition, and cultural sensitivity across contexts ranging from healthcare and education to workplace and community environments.

Research Interests

• Virtual and Augmented Reality in Design
• Artificial Intelligence in Design and Design Education
• Design Cognition and Computational Thinking
• Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Design Pedagogy

Stephen L. Clarke, native Oklahoman, is a Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Sr. Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Studies, and Faculty Affairs in the College of Education and Human Sciences at Oklahoma State University. He is a member of the Board of Health and Human Sciences of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Association of Nutrition Departments and Programs. After finishing his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. 

Since joining OSU as an assistant professor in 2007, Clarke has served the OSU campus in a variety of capacities as Department Head, Associate Department Head, Chair of OSU Faculty Council, Chair of the Healthcare and Wellness Committee, member of the OSU Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Council, and Faculty Athletics Representative. In addition to serving as an external program reviewer for Nutrition and Dietetic programs, he has served as a Faculty Teaching Fellow, participated as a panelist for the OSU Academic Leadership Academy, and has presented faculty development workshops for the Institute of Teaching and Learning Excellence.

Research Interests:

Clarke's research interests on nutrient-gene interactions are focused on bioactive food components and how these compounds reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. His work has been supported by the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, USDA/National Institute for Food and Agriculture, and National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Ki (Matlock) Cole is a Professor of Research, Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics in the College of Education, Health, and Aviation at Oklahoma State University. Her major research interests is in item response theory (IRT), factor analysis, test and survey development and evaluation, and evaluating statistical software.

She has published articles in Educational and Psychological Measurement, Applied Psychological Measurement, and the International Journal of Quantitative Research in Education. She serves on the editorial board for Assessment.

Dr. Cole teaches courses in Item Response Theory, Factor Analysis, Analysis of Variance, and Statistical Methods in Education.

She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Statistics and Research Methods from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 2013.

Research Interests:

Item Response Theory, Psychometrics, Factor Analysis, Scale Development, Item Wording Effects, Response Styles

I am a cattle rancher’s wife from northwest Oklahoma and an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) with extensive experience in geriatrics, long-term care, critical care, post-anesthesia care, and rehabilitation. Over my 26 years of teaching at High Plains Technology Center, I developed strong skills in instruction, curriculum development, and student mentorship. I now have the privilege of serving as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University.

It is an honor to contribute to the development of the new BSN program at Oklahoma State University—the very place where my journey in nursing began when I completed my pre-nursing courses in 1986. Returning to OSU in an instructional role feels like coming full circle, and I am proud to help prepare the next generation of nurses for meaningful and impactful careers.