Gladys Wauk | Social Science | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Cognitive Scientist Awards

Ms. Gladys Wauk | Social Science | Best Researcher Award

Gladys Wauk is a passionate educator, researcher, and consultant specializing in E-business, public management, and digital entrepreneurship. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Business Administration at the University of Electronics Science and Technology of China (UESTC), where she also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Gladys combines academic rigor with practical experience, having worked extensively in teaching, research, consultancy, and entrepreneurship. She has contributed to multiple international publications and actively participated in various academic and community development projects. Her early teaching experiences at the University for Development Studies in Ghana, combined with her volunteer work and entrepreneurial ventures, demonstrate her versatility and commitment to fostering innovative learning environments. With strong analytical skills, cross-cultural communication abilities, and an extensive background in research, Gladys is committed to contributing meaningfully to the academic and creative development of students and institutions while promoting digital transformation and sustainable development in emerging economies.

Profile

🎓 Education

Gladys Wauk holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from the University of Electronics Science and Technology of China (UESTC), where she has been enrolled since 2020. Prior to this, she earned her Master of Management in Public Management (Public Economics) from UESTC in 2018. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Development Studies, majoring in Economics and Entrepreneurship Studies, from the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, Ghana, in 2014. Throughout her academic journey, Gladys has focused on integrating economics, entrepreneurship, and technology, preparing her to address the challenges of modern digital business ecosystems. Her education blends theoretical knowledge with practical applications, enabling her to conduct interdisciplinary research that bridges management, economics, public policy, and digital transformation, particularly in developing countries. She has also engaged in field practical programs and collaborative projects, enhancing her skills in data collection, analysis, and applied research methodologies.

đŸ§Ș Experience

Gladys Wauk has amassed extensive teaching, research, and industry experience across multiple roles. She currently serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at UESTC, where she mentors undergraduates and supports academic administration. Previously, she was a Senior Teaching Assistant and Teaching Assistant at the University for Development Studies, Ghana, where she mentored students, prepared academic materials, and coordinated projects. Her research experience includes doctoral research at UESTC, research leadership at the Center for West Africa Studies, and data collection for IFPRI and Send Ghana. Additionally, Gladys has industry experience as an Administrative Support Officer and Academic Consultant, offering guidance on research projects, data collection, and scholarship applications. As an entrepreneur, she successfully managed Joy Tree Enterprise, developing consumer products and engaging in market research. These diverse experiences have equipped her with broad expertise in teaching, research, consultancy, entrepreneurship, and administrative coordination, making her a dynamic contributor to academic and professional settings.

🏅 Awards and Honors

Gladys Wauk has received multiple awards recognizing her academic excellence, leadership, and volunteer contributions. She earned Second Prize in the UESTC Academic Achievement Scholarship Award (2021-2022; 2017-2018) for her outstanding research performance. She was awarded First Prize for Excellent Performance at UESTC (2017-2018) for active participation in school activities, arts, sports, and voluntary work. In 2018, she was named Most Outstanding Volunteer for her contributions to the Forum on China’s Reform and Africa’s Development. Her leadership abilities were acknowledged through the Most Outstanding Student Leader Award at UESTC (2017-2018). She also won First Prize medals in the ISU UESTC Summer Sports Women’s Football and received recognition as Outstanding Loan Ambassador (2017). Her academic and extracurricular achievements reflect her strong commitment to excellence, leadership, and service in both academic and community spheres, further strengthening her profile as a well-rounded scholar and educator.

🔬 Research Focus

Gladys Wauk’s research focuses on digital business transformation, public procurement, financial inclusion, and sustainable development, particularly within the context of emerging economies like Ghana. Her work integrates multidisciplinary approaches, employing methods such as AHP, PLS-SEM, and fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making models. She has conducted extensive research on blockchain applications in public procurement, mobile money adoption, digital financial inclusion, and the socio-economic impacts of renewable energy adoption. Through collaborations at UESTC and the Center for West Africa Studies, Gladys has contributed to significant cross-cultural studies assessing international industrial cooperation between China and Africa. Her research addresses real-world challenges by providing data-driven insights into policy formulation, business innovation, and sustainable development strategies. She continues to explore how emerging technologies can address corruption, promote transparency, and foster inclusive growth in developing nations, contributing to global conversations on sustainable digital economies.

✅ Conclusion

Gladys Wauk is a dynamic educator, researcher, and entrepreneur whose multidisciplinary expertise in digital business transformation, public management, and sustainable development uniquely positions her to contribute to academic excellence, innovative research, and practical solutions addressing global economic challenges, particularly within emerging markets and cross-cultural collaborations between Africa and China.

Publications

  • Antecedents of Sustainable Usage Behaviors Through Mobile Payment Technology for Digital Financial Inclusion in Ghana

    Systems
    2025-06 | Journal article | Author
    DOI: 10.3390/systems13060456
    CONTRIBUTORS: GLADYS WAUK; Junwu Chai; Gideon Adjorlolo; EDEM KOFFI AMOUZOU; Belinda Bonney; Benedict N-yanyi

  • Evaluating Corruption-Prone Public Procurement Stages for Blockchain Integration Using AHP Approach

    Systems
    2025-04 | Journal article | Author
    DOI: 10.3390/systems13040267
    CONTRIBUTORS: Gideon Adjorlolo; Zhiwei Tang; GLADYS WAUK; Philip Adu Sarfo; Alhassan Baako Braimah; Richard Blankson Safo; Benedict N-yanyi

Taylor Napier | Intimate Partner Violence | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Cognitive Scientist Awards

Dr. Taylor Napier | Intimate Partner Violence | Best Researcher Award

 

 

Profile

Education

She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology in 2024 from the Department of Psychology at the University of Memphis, an APA-accredited program. Her major area of study focused on Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies, and her dissertation, titled Violence Across the Family System: Examining the Direct and Intergenerational Effects of Violence Victimization on Youth’s Social Competence, was chaired by Dr. Kathryn H. Howell. As part of her doctoral training, she completed a predoctoral psychology internship in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Oklahoma Health Science Center, an APA-accredited program, specializing in the Child Clinical track under the supervision of Training Director Dr. Jim Scott.

She previously earned a Master of Science in General Psychology from the University of Memphis in 2019, where she worked under the guidance of Dr. Kathryn H. Howell. Her thesis, Differentiating the Effects of Anxious and Avoidant Attachment on Depression and Resilience Following Trauma, explored the impact of attachment styles on mental health outcomes. She completed her undergraduate studies in 2016, earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC.

Work experience

She has gained extensive supervised clinical experience across various settings. From 2023 to 2024, she served as a Clinical Psychology Resident at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center at OUHealth in Oklahoma City, OK, dedicating 24 hours per week to the Child Study Center. In this outpatient training clinic, she provided evidence-based parenting training programs and therapy services for children and families, including those involved with the child welfare system. Her responsibilities included administering cognitive and behavioral assessments, composing comprehensive developmental reports, conducting psychodiagnostic assessments, and developing treatment plans. She provided behavioral management services using Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), trauma-based services with Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and anxiety treatments, including Selective Mutism interventions. Additionally, she monitored client treatment progress, maintained weekly documentation, and used electronic health records under the supervision of licensed psychologists, including Drs. Elizabeth Bard, Tabitha Fleming, Beverly Funderburk, Erin Taylor, and Ashley Galsky.

Simultaneously, from 2023 to 2024, she worked 12 hours per week as a Clinical Psychology Resident at Stevenson Cancer Center, where she provided mental health counseling for adults with cancer within an interdisciplinary healthcare setting. She conducted biopsychosocial assessments to determine the need for brief psychotherapy interventions following cancer diagnoses, created treatment plans, and delivered cognitive-behavioral treatments while assessing symptom changes over time. She also completed weekly documentation using an electronic health record system under the supervision of Drs. Rachel Funk-Lawler and Blake Hilton.

From 2020 to 2023, she was a Graduate Student Therapist at the Psychological Services Center in Memphis, TN, a university-based outpatient training clinic serving a diverse community population. She administered psychological and behavioral assessments, formulated cases, created treatment plans, and conducted psychotherapy using empirically supported treatments. Additionally, she regularly monitored client progress through validated assessments, conducted risk assessments, and maintained comprehensive documentation, including session notes and closing reports, under the supervision of licensed psychologists Drs. Kristoffer S. Berlin, Audrey Townsel, and Ryan Farmer.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, she worked 20 hours per week as a Graduate Clinician at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Center for Developmental Disabilities in Memphis, TN. In this interdisciplinary setting, she conducted diagnostic intake interviews, administered psychometric scales, and performed cognitive and socio-emotional testing for children suspected of having neurodevelopmental disabilities. Her work informed differential diagnoses, and she provided Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services through the ABA for Families program. She also composed comprehensive reports, documented treatment plans, and tracked and graphed session data, supervised by Drs. Philip Norfolk, Alexandra Vohs, Bruce Keisling, and Colby Taylor.

In the summer of 2021, she volunteered as a Graduate Psychometrician at Irby Psychological Services in Southaven, MS, where she administered psychological, cognitive, and behavioral assessments for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and various mental health diagnoses. She also composed integrated psychological reports, conducted intake assessments with primary caregivers, and participated in family feedback sessions to review the final reports under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Irby.

Between 2017 and 2019, and again from 2022 to 2023, she served as a Group Intervention Leader at the University of Memphis, facilitating a five-week intervention program for pregnant women who had recently experienced intimate partner violence. She led weekly two-hour group intervention sessions covering cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, dialectical-behavioral, and motivational interviewing strategies, along with psychoeducation on violence, pregnancy, and parenting. This work was supervised by Drs. Kathryn H. Howell and Laura Miller-Graff.

Award and Honor

She has received numerous honors and awards in recognition of her academic excellence and professional achievements. In 2024, she was honored as the Outstanding Clinical Psychology Intern at the Oklahoma Health Science Center in Oklahoma City, OK. In 2022, she was recognized as an Emerging Student Leader by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Center for Developmental Disabilities in Memphis, TN. That same year, she received the Life Paths Student Scholarship from the Life Paths Research Center for the Mindful Writing Retreat in Nashville, TN, which included a $340 award based on her professional development statement.

Earlier in her academic career, she was awarded the Craig M. Brown Master’s Program in General Psychology Director’s Award in 2019 from the University of Memphis, receiving a $1,000 scholarship for academic excellence. In 2016, she was recognized as the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Psychology at Gardner-Webb University, an honor given to a psychology student demonstrating exceptional promise in the field as determined by faculty.

She has also received multiple travel awards to support her participation in scientific conferences. Between 2017 and 2023, she was granted a total of $3,500 through the Conference Travel Grant from the University of Memphis Department of Psychology. In 2018, she was awarded the American Psychological Association Student Travel Award to attend the APA Conference in San Francisco, CA, receiving $300 based on her travel funding application. Additionally, she was a recipient of the College of Arts & Sciences Travel Funding Award from the University of Memphis in 2018, securing another $300 to support her professional development through conference travel.

 

Publication