About Jon Westfall

Jonathan E. Westfall, PhD is an award-winning professor, published author, and practicing cognitive scientist with a passion for both psychology and technology. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Psychology and Coordinator of the Psychology Program at Delta State University, where he teaches a wide range of courses—from introductory psychology to advanced graduate seminars.

Dr. Westfall’s research explores how individuals make economic and consumer decisions, integrating cognitive science, psychology, and behavioral economics. He also investigates how emerging technologies—particularly artificial intelligence—can enhance teaching, learning, and scholarly communication. His recent work examines how AI tools are reshaping academic writing and collaboration, especially for researchers working at smaller institutions.

As an educator, Dr. Westfall emphasizes active learning, transparency, and student ownership. He encourages thoughtful integration of technology in the classroom and believes students should not only understand content but also how tools like AI influence the learning process. His courses often incorporate collaborative projects, real-world problem solving, and reflective practice.

At Delta State, he previously led the Okra Scholars program (2016–2019), a Department of Education-funded initiative supporting student success through cohort-based learning, and coordinated the university’s First Year Seminar through 2022. He also served as Faculty Senate President from April 2020 to April 2021, helping guide the campus through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to joining Delta State, Dr. Westfall was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Centenary College of Louisiana and served as Associate Director for Research and Technology at Columbia University’s Center for Decision Sciences, where he remains a research affiliate and technology consultant.

In addition to his academic career, Dr. Westfall is an experienced technologist. Since founding his consulting firm, Bug Jr. Systems, in 1997, he has developed custom software across multiple platforms including Windows, iOS, Android, and the web. He has also served as a systems architect and administrator for both Windows and Unix-based networks, and was recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) from 2008 to 2012. He has authored several books and presents regularly at academic and technology conferences.

When not teaching or coding, he enjoys running, travel, pop culture (especially Star Trek), and spending time with his two cats, Coconut and Kinja. Dr. Westfall is married to Karey A. Westfall, and both are natives of the Midwestern United States. They are proud godparents to Kaden and Nathan, and Uncle and Aunt to Ryleigh, Ryan, Amelia, Rhett, and Grant.

If you are interested in having him speak at your event, please use the contact form.

Detailed Chronological Biography

1997: Founded Bug Jr. Systems (As Bug Jr. Software), recruiting a team of technology enthusiasts and professionals to work on web development projects and custom Win32 software development in Borland Delphi. Released a number of shareware applications, and began working on network design and administration projects.

2001: Certified as an MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional), MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), and CompTIA A+ Certified technician. Began teaching A+ Certification courses at The University of Akron, while studying for a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

2003: Continued teaching A+ Certification, as well as a new two-course sequence, Computer Repair & Maintenance, a course designed for non-technical learners focusing on operation and repair of a computer.

2004: Graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Akron (UA), as a presidential and university honors scholar. Applied and accepted to the experimental psychology MA-PhD program at The University of Toledo (UT).

2005: Teaching interests gradually shift from Technology (at UA) to Psychology (at UT). Taught Principles of Psychology discussion and lecture, and TA’ed for Cognitive Psychology. Also appointed a Contributing Editor for Pocket PC Thoughts, a Thoughts Media network website.

2007: Awarded a Masters of Arts in Psychology, conducting research on individual differences and decision making. Taught Research Methods in Psychology, Principles of Psychology, and Cognitive Psychology.

2008: Recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) – Windows Mobile Devices.

2009: Awarded Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD), offered and accepted a postdoctoral position at Columbia University, with the Center for Decision Sciences, as an Associate Director.

2010: Windows Phone 7 Made Simple and Mandate (Self-published) released. Launched and served as Executive Editor of Android Thoughts.

2011: Fast Food Calorie Lookup, an Android smartphone calorie database, released and downloaded by more than 50,000 users within the first 3 months. Before exiting the Google Play store in 2016, it would be downloaded more than 400,000 times.

2012: Beginning Android Web Apps Development released. Accepted a visiting assistant professor position at Centenary College of Louisiana.

2013: The Big Picture: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff invited talk given. Taught several courses, including History and Systems of Psychology, Judgment & Decision Making, Learning & Memory (traditional and accelerated)

2014: Accepted and began current position as Assistant Professor of Psychology, Division of Counselor Education & Psychology, at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.

2015: Engaged in external speaking and consulting activity while serving as the Subject Pool coordinator for the department of Psychology, Delta State University. Awarded “Outstanding Faculty Member, College of Education and Human Sciences”.

2016: Appointed Coordinator of the First Year Seminar program in February, and the Coordinator of the Okra Scholars program in May. Both programs housed in the Delta State University Student Success Center, a group dedicated to retaining and graduating students, providing academic support, advising, and services to first year and international students, as well as pilot programs such as Okra Scholars.

2017: Awarded “Outstanding Faculty of the Year” by the Delta State University Panhellenic council. Research presentations at the Southeastern Psychological Association annual meeting as well as the American Psychological Association annual meeting in August. Appointed Psychology Program Coordinator.

2018: Oversaw effort and successful vote to require First Year Seminar for nearly all incoming students at Delta State by Fall 2019.

2019: Elected President-Elect of the Delta State University Faculty Senate. Honored as Delta State’s HEADWAE award recipient, recognized at the Mississippi State Capitol. Authored the online curriculum for First Year Seminar 300, a transfer-specific first year experience/seminar tailored for distance learners. One in the Same, and Franklin: The Ghost Who Successfully Evicted Hipsters From His Home and Other Short Stories published.

2020: Assumed position of President, Delta State University Faculty Senate. Promoted to rank of Associate Professor, with tenure. Authored Practical R 4 and an additional book on installing and managing your own Virtual Private Server.

2021: Authored a revision of Pro Data Visualization Using R and JavaScript: Analyze and Visualize Key Data on the Web.

2022: Published an article on construction of a psychology research subject pool using Open Source Software in the journal Teaching of Psychology.

2023: Published an article on equity in pay for female vs. male basketball coaches , branching out into new realms of statistical analysis and collaboration. Presented at APA Annual Conference. Ran my first 5K.

2024: Served on the Ad-Hoc Budget Committee at Delta State, working to identify more than $5 million in budget cuts or revenue increases.