Alexandra Mosser
Degree: Ph.D. in Psychology
College/School: School Integrated Science and Humanity; College of Arts, Sciences & Education
Alexandra Mosser thought she would follow her parents’ footsteps and become a musician. But during her undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, she took a class in law and psychology and it was then she realized she would be following a different path.
Upon completion of her bachelor’s degree and with her parents’ full support, Alexandra pursued a Ph.D. in legal psychology from FIU — one of the top programs in the country.
Working alongside Ron Fisher — one of the leading investigative interviewing researchers in the world — Alexandra studied how to most effectively gather information from valuable eyewitnesses or detainees. Her research was conducted with local and federal law enforcement and funded by the FBI’s High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group.
Alexandra has presented in numerous conferences and recently led a session for nearly 200 law enforcement professionals from the FBI, CIA and NSA as well as researchers. Under the guidance of Jacqueline Evans, her dissertation focused on whether a technique known as the cognitive interview can increase the number of contacts recalled in CDC investigations into the spread of infectious diseases like Ebola. She found this technique yielded approximately four more contacts. Her findings could impact other health investigations including tracing Zika sources.
After graduation, Alexandra will begin a post-doctoral fellowship in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit 2, which investigates cyber crimes.