Daphne Xin Hou
Assistant Professor
Contact
Office: PCD 4127
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Bio
Dr. Daphne X. Hou is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Florida. She earned her Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Purdue University, where her research focused on vocational interests and interest assessments. She also holds an M.S. in Human Resource Management from Purdue.
Dr. Hou’s research centers on how people navigate careers and find fulfillment in the rapidly evolving world of work. Her interests span career development and vocational interests, with a focus on career choice, transitions, and adaptability. She is particularly interested in how emerging technologies—such as AI, automated interviews, and virtual reality—are reshaping employee selection, training, and development, and what these changes mean for the aging workforce and those in gig or precarious work arrangements. Additionally, Dr. Hou’s work involves methodological investigations and innovations as well as cross-cultural issues. At the heart of her work is a commitment to understanding how individuals can pursue meaningful careers while maintaining well-being in the face of technological, demographic, and economic change.
Education
Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology, Purdue University, 2025
Research
Career and vocational interests, future of work, ML-based assessment, cross-cultural psychology
SPECIALTY AREA
Industrial-Organizational
Selected Publications
Su, R. & Hou, D. X. (2024). “Vocational Interests in the Future of Work”, Behrend, T. (Ed.) Future of Human-Technology Partnerships at Work, Cambridge University Press. [In Press].
Dang, L., Hou, D. X., Hoff, K. A., & Behrend, T. S. (2025). Addressing labor gaps with the science of workplace learning. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 18(1), 119-122.
Du, Y. Y. L., Jain, D., Cho, Y. M., Hou, D. X., Guntuku, S. C., Ungar, L., & Tay, L. (2024). Exploring a language-based interest assessment: Predicting vocational interests on social media using natural language processing. Journal of Career Assessment, 10690727241289125.
Hou, X. D., Guntuku, S. C., Cho, Y. M., Sherman, G., Zhang, T., Li, M., ... & Tay, L. (2024). A cross-cultural examination of temporal orientation through everyday language on social media. Plos one, 19(3), e0292963.
Hou, D. X., Su, R., & Tay, L. (2024). Measuring SETPOINT vocational interest dimensions: The development and validation of three short scales. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 149, 103959.
Honors and Awards
Graduate Research Publication Award, 2025
Best Graduate Student Methodological Paper Award, 2025
Dr. William H. Hendrix Research Excellence Award, 2024