Kristi Haik holds a Ph.D. in Applied Experimental Psychology with a Neuroscience Concentration from Central Michigan University. In 2005, she became a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Kentucky University (NKU), where she later became Professor and Chair of the Department. She also served as Director of the Center for Integrative Natural Science & Mathematics (CINSAM), NKU’s STEM Center. In 2016, she served as Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Ferris State University. In 2020, she served as the Sr. Director of Fund Development at the Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore, headquartered in Grand Rapids, where she increased fundraising by 75% during her tenure.
She has presented invited talks and research on over 100 different occasions, including national and international events such as the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting and the Academic Chairpersons Conference. She is the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles in Experimental Neurology, Journal of Nanomaterials, Journal of Neuroscience Methods, The Department Chair, and book chapters. She has received over $6.6 million in grant funding from agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. She has fundraised nearly $5 million for STEM programs, academic departments, and low-income and underrepresented students.
Dr. Haik co-created Project SOAR (Scholarships Opportunities Achievement & Results) in 2008, which aims to recruit, retain, educate, and graduate first- generation, low-income, and underrepresented students in STEM. Three rounds of Project SOAR have been funded by the NSF, including the $2.3 million grant SOAR-Three, which includes three universities. The outcomes of SOAR and SOAR-Three have benefited thousands of students. Dr. Haik strives to provide access and opportunity for those in college or our community who do not have it.
