Faculty and Staff Profile

June Pilcher

Educational Background

Ph.D. Biopsychology
The University of Chicago 1989

M.A. Biopsychology
The University of Chicago 1989

BA Psychology
University of Southern Mississippi 1984

BS Computer Science
University of Southern Mississippi 1984

Courses Taught

Abnormal Psychology
Advanced Physiological Psychology
Brain and Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach
Cognitive Psychology Lab
Health Psychology
Martial Arts: Historical and Modern Analysis (Honors College)
Positively Human (Honors College & Psychology)
Zen and the Brain (Honors College)
Zen and the Martial Arts (Honors College)
Introduction to Psychology
Leisure Skills (Non-competitive Martial Art - Karatedo Doshinkan; https://doshinkan.com/)
Physiological Psychology
Physiological Psychology Lab
Science of Sleep
Senior Lab in Psychology

Profile

Dr. Pilcher is an Alumni Distinguished Professor of Psychology (awarded in 2009) at Clemson University. She earned her Ph.D. in Biopsychology from the University of Chicago in 1989. She was enlisted in the US Navy as a hospital corpsman prior to completing her undergraduate degree and served as an officer as a research psychologist in the US Army after receiving her Ph.D. She started her academic career at Bradley University before joining the faculty at Clemson University in 2001. Since arriving at Clemson, she has applied for and received several fellowships and has been fortunate to work with collaborators at the University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria), the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (Oulu, Finland), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (Washington, DC, USA). In December 2015, Dr. Pilcher was the recipient of The Class of 1939 Award for Excellence at Clemson. She has been principal investigator on research grants cumulatively worth more than $2 million and co-investigator on a number of other research grants.

Research Interests

Pilcher’s research is broadly based on the effects of stress on performance, health, and well-being. Her research includes examining the impact of sleep deprivation, sleep habits, sedentary activity, light physical activity, and mindfulness on performance and subjective and objective measures of health and well-being.

Research Publications

(*student collaborator)
Pilcher, J. J., & *Ply, C. M. (2025). The impact of time of night on affect and affective state type: A simulated nightshift study. Journal of Sleep Research, e70027. doi: 10.1111/jsr.70027.

Pilcher, J. J., *Rummel, E. G., & Lamm, C. (2024). Sleep quality, sleep quantity, and sleep timing: Contrasts in Austrian and U.S. college students. Frontiers in Sleep, 3, 1487739. doi: 10.3389/frsle.2024.1487739

Pilcher, J. J., & *Smith, P. D. (2024). Social context during moral decision-making impacts males more than females. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1397069. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1397069

Grandits, J. B., *Kent, H. W., Sanborn, S. M., & Pilcher, J. J. (2023). The effect of compression on repetitive behaviors and task participation in children with autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1292439. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1292439

Pilcher, J. J., Grandits, J. B., *Wilkes, M. J., & *Lindsey, M. M. (2023). Time-of-Day Effects on Speed and Accuracy Performance during Simulated Shiftwork. Chronobiology International, 40, 1529-1545. doi: 10.1080/07420528.2023.2283572.

Pilcher, J. J., *Morris, D. M., & *Erikson, D. N. (2023). Self-control measurement methodologies: An integrative approach. Psychological Reports, 126(3), 1108-1129. doi: 10.1177/00332941211067969

Pilcher, J. J., *Dorsey, L. L., *Galloway, S. M., & *Erikson, D. N. (2022). Social isolation and sleep: Manifestation during COVID-19 quarantines. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 810763. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.810763

Pilcher, J. J., *Hulett, T. L., *Harrill, P. S., *Cashman, J. M., *Hamilton, G. L., & *Diaz, E. (2022). Activity workstations in high schools: Decreasing sedentary behavior without negatively impacting schoolwork. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 929564. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.929564

Pilcher, J. J., *Morris, D. M., *Limyansky, S. E., & *Bryant, S. A. (2022). The effect of using activity workstations on heart rate variability during complex cognitive tasks. Journal of American College Health, 70(3), 948-955. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2020.1782919

Pilcher, J. J., *Erikson, D. N., & *Yochum, C. A. (2021). Fighting the freshman fifteen: Sleep, exercise, and BMI in college students. American Journal of Health Promotion, 35(4), 580-583. doi: 10.1177/0890117120969065

Pilcher, J. J. & *Morris, D. M. (2020). Sleep and organizational behavior: Implications for workplace productivity and safety. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 45. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00045

*Jordan, K. A., Gagnon, R. J., Anderson, D. M., & Pilcher, J. J. (2018). Enhancing the college student experience: Outcomes of a leisure education program. Journal of Experiential Education, 41(1), 90-106. doi: 10.1177/1053825917751508

Pilcher, J. J., Switzer, F. S. III, *Munc, A., *Donnelly, J, *Jellen, J. C., & Lamm, C. (2018). Psychometric properties of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale: A factor analysis and item-response theory approach. Chronobiology International, 35(4), 533-545. doi: 10.1080/07420528.2017.1420075

*Morris, D. M., Pilcher, J. J., *Mulvihill, J. B., & *Vander Wood, M. A. (2017). Performance awareness: Predicting cognitive performance during simulated shiftwork using chronobiological measures. Applied Ergonomics, 63, 9-16. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2017.03.009

*Morris, D. M., Pilcher, J. J., & Powell, R. B. (2017). Task dependent cold stress during expeditions in Antarctic environments. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 76(1), 1379306. doi: 10.1080/22423982.2017.1379306

Pilcher, J. J., *Morris, D. M., *Bryant, S. A., Merritt, P. A., & *Feigl, H. B. (2017). Decreasing sedentary behavior: Effects on academic performance, meta-cognition, and sleep. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 11, 219. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00219

*Morris, D. M. & Pilcher, J. J. (2016). The cold driver: Cold stress while driving results in dangerous behavior. Biological Psychology, 120, 149-155. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.09.011

Pilcher, J. J. & *Bryant, S. A. (2016). Implications of social support as a self-control resource. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 10, 228. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00228

Pilcher, J. J., *Jennings, K. S., *Phillips, G., & McCubbin, J. A. (2016). Auditory attention and comprehension during a simulated night shift: Effects of task characteristics. Human Factors, 58(7), 1031-1043. doi: 10.1177/0018720816654377

Pilcher, J. J. & *Baker, V. C. (2016). Task performance and meta-cognitive outcomes when using activity workstations and traditional desks. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 957. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00957

*Morris, D. M., Pilcher, J. J., & Switzer III, F. S. (2015). Lane heading difference: An innovative model for drowsy driving detection using retrospective analysis around curves. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 80, 117-124. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2015.04.007

Pilcher, J. J., *Callan, C., & *Posey, J. L. (2015). Sleep deprivation affects reactivity to positive but not negative stimuli. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 79(6), 657-662. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.05.003

Pilcher, J. J., *Morris, D. M., *Donnelly, J., & *Feigl, H. B. (2015). Interactions between sleep habits and self-control. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 284. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00284

*McClelland, L. E., Switzer, F. S., III, & Pilcher, J. J. (2013). Changes in decision-making in nurses across a 12-hour day shift. Occupational Medicine, 63(1), 60-65. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqs189

Pilcher, J. J., *Geldhauser, H. A., *Beeco, J. A., & Lindquist, T. A. (2013). Controlled attention and sleep deprivation: Adding a self-regulation approach? International Journal of Psychological Studies, 5(1), 71-83. doi: 10.5539/ijps.v5n3p71

McCubbin, J. A., *Peach, H., Moore, D. D., & Pilcher, J. J. (2012). Decreased cognitive/CNS function in young adults at risk for hypertension: Effects of sleep deprivation. International Journal of Hypertension. doi: 10.1155/2012/989345. (special edition: IJH-Perspectives on Behavioral Medicine)

Pilcher, J. J., *Vander Wood, M. A., & *O’Connell, K. L. (2011). The effects of extended work under sleep deprivation conditions on team-based performance. Ergonomics, 54(7), 587-596.

Honors and Awards

- Fellow, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society (awarded 2022)
- Jefferson Science Fellow Award; awarded through the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Fellowships Office of Policy and Global Affairs (2018-2019)
- University Research, Scholarship and Artistic Achievement Award, Clemson University (2018, inaugural cohort) https://www.clemson.edu/research/awards/ursaaa.html
- Fulbright Specialist Award in Public/Global Health; awarded through the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Programs and Fulbright Finland (2017)
- Dean’s Award for Interdisciplinary Collaboration Teaching/Service, College of Business and Behavioral Science, Clemson University (2016)
- The Class of ’39 Award for Faculty Excellence, Clemson University (2015)
- Fulbright Specialist Roster Candidate, U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars (2015 - 2020)
- Fulbright-Freud Visiting Scholar Award; awarded through the Fulbright Program for U.S. Scholars and Fulbright Austria (2011-2012)
- Board of Trustees Award for Faculty Excellence, Clemson University (2011, 2012)
- Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award, Sigma Xi Chapter, Clemson University (2011)

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