William (Hank) Murrah, Ph.D.

William (Hank) Murrah, Ph.D.

  • Department Head, Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology
  • Associate Professor
334-844-3806
wmm0017@auburn.edu
345 W Samford Ave, Room 3326
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Academic Programs


William M. Murrah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology at Auburn University. His research focuses on cognitive and motor development, school readiness, and understanding the mechanisms underlying learning and development .   He is interested in leveraging AI tools to advance developmental research.  He welcomes graduate students interested in developmental research with implications for educational practice.

Professional Experience


Dr. Murrah graduated with a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Virginia. He worked there as a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist, specializing in research design and methods. Before graduate school he worked as a counselor in several academic and clinical settings, including alternative schools and substance abuse clinics.

Innovation

Dr. Murrah's research investigates how cognitive and motor development shape children's school readiness and academic achievement, with attention to access to educational resources. His empirical work has established fine motor skills as meaningful indicators of school readiness, demonstrating their contribution to early academic outcomes independent of general cognitive ability. His methodological research addresses challenges in comparing effects across studies, with implications for how educational researchers interpret findings and draw causal inferences.

His current work applies rigorous empirical methods to build stronger educational theory with implications for policy and practice. Projects include investigations of reading development—examining how decoding and language comprehension interact across elementary school—and emerging work on mathematics learning. He is also exploring the use of AI tools to enhance research workflows in developmental science.


Engagement

Dr. Murrah works to make educational research accessible beyond academic audiences. He collaborates with educators and policymakers to translate findings into practice, and mentors graduate students in communicating research to diverse audiences.