Dr. Magnus has been with UNCW since 2005. Prior to returning to academia, she worked as a human resources generalist for a national environmental engineering consulting firm and was based in Newport News, Virginia. She earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from Florida International University, a post-graduate certificate in Human Resource Management from Old Dominion University, an M.S. in Applied Psychology from Christopher Newport University, and a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in mathematics from University of Florida. Dr. Magnus has held senior-level certifications in human resources since 2001 from the Human Resource Management Certification Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management.
She has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and made over 100 invited presentations nationally and internationally related to her research. Her research — which focuses on team cognition and management, organizational mindfulness and supervisor use of humor in the workplace — has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Institute and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Currently, Dr. Magnus serves as the Department Chair for the Cameron School’s Department of Management, which houses business concentrations in Human Resource Management, Management & Leadership, Entrepreneurship & Business Development, as well as the interdisciplinary concentration in International Business. She is also the coordinator of the new post-graduate certificate in Human Resource Management.