Alison Jane Martingano Ph.D.

Alison Jane Martingano, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Her research focuses on understanding the nature of empathy and as well as designing interventions to promote it. Her work suggests that, like exercising a muscle, activities that challenge people to practice taking someone else’s perspective should cultivate greater empathy over time. Following this logic, her research looks at how various activities (e.g., reading, virtual reality, socializing) and life experiences (e.g., emigrating, going to college) impact people’s empathy skills.

Alison Jane defended her Ph.D. in Cognitive, Social, and Developmental Psychology in 2020 at the New School for Social Research. Alison Jane also holds an M.Phil. and M.A. in psychology from the New School for Social Research and a B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of York. She completed her postdoctoral training at the National Institutes for Health, where she investigated emerging technologies for health benefits.

Alison Jane’s research has been published in academic journals such as Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences, PLoS One, and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence as well as being featured in programs such as BBC Radio 4 — The Digital Human. She is the winner of several early career research and teaching awards and is a passionate educator with a particular interest in helping first-generation students access higher education.