About

I am an Associate Professor at the University of Virginia, with a joint appointment between the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, and the Darden School of Business, and a courtesy appointment in Psychology (Social). I am an affiliate of ideas42 and an Associate Editor at [unnamed journal].

Research topics

• Psychology
• Political Science
• Social psychology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Business
• Economics
• Criminology
• Law
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Cognitive psychology
• Management
• Psychoanalysis
• Arithmetic
• Public relations
• Medicine
• Econometrics

Selected publications

• Facing Cancelation: Bias Confrontation Strategy Impacts Interpersonal Perceptions and Behaviors

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  article

  Four talks explore antecedents and consequences of various prejudice confrontation strategies, for the victims, offenders, and observers. The first talk explores the political divide in rank-and-file employee support for psychological safety in organizations, which has implications for support for organizational policies aimed at confronting prejudice and maintaining organizational psychological safety. The next talk describes how two common confrontation strategies, calling in versus canceling an offender, can affect organizational psychological safety and resulting employee voice. The third talk explores how, when, and why high-profile people make professional comebacks following their cancelations, and finds that such individuals attempt to destigmatize themselves by testing the waters for a comeback in several distinct ways. Finally, the fourth talk discusses how perceived power is impacted when harassers apologize (vs. deny) their sexual misconduct and demonstrates how perpetrator apologies can shift power from the perpetrator to the victim and impact willingness to advocate for the victim. Together, these talks highlight potentially unexpected consequences and tradeoffs to various methods of confronting prejudice. Political Ideology, Purpose of Business Beliefs, & Support for Psychological Safety Author: Rajen Anderson; University of Leeds Author: Krishnan Nair; Boise State University Author: Maryam Kouchaki; Northwestern University Confronting Workplace Prejudice: Calling In Increases Psychological Safety More Than Canceling Author: Michael Rosenblum; Author: Zachariah Berry; University of Southern California Author: Juliana Schroeder; University of California Berkeley Shifting the Spotlight: How Workers Attempt Comebacks After Public Stigmatization Author: Samantha Martinez; Author: Erin Frey; Yale University Author: Gabrielle Adams; University of Virginia Author: Scott Wiltermuth; University of Southern California Transferring Powerfrom the Victimizer to the Victimized Author: Rachael Goodwin; Not Associated Author: Samantha Dodson; University of Calgary Author: Kristina Diekmann; The University of Utah

  PublisherDOI

• Investigating the impact of structural racism explanations for discriminatory behavior on judgments of the perpetrator.

  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · 2025-02-06

  articleSenior author

  Structural racism has become a household term used in the media and in everyday conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Despite increased discussion of structural racism, people often struggle to understand how structural racism is perpetuated by individuals. We integrate research on moral psychology, social cognition, and intergroup relations to investigate whether structural explanations can lead to reduced perceptions of responsibility and punishment for managers who engage in discriminatory hiring decisions. A field study of health care system employees who perceived discriminatory hiring as originating from structural factors (vs. individual factors) were less likely to hold the hiring manager accountable (Study 1). Explaining discriminatory hiring to participants as due to structural factors (vs. a no-information control condition; Studies 2a, 2b, 2c, and 3) decreased desires to hold the hiring manager accountable. We found evidence that this lessened accountability was due to participants' simultaneous perceptions that the hiring manager was less responsible for the lack of diversity and did not intend to discriminate under a structural racism explanation. However, when the relationship between individual and structural racism was explained, participants were more likely to hold perpetrators of discrimination accountable while allowing for crucial discussions around structural racism (Study 4). This work suggests that Americans may lack a deep understanding of the complexities surrounding structural racism, and that the connections between individuals and structural racism must be explained in order to motivate people to hold perpetrators of discrimination accountable. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Reevaluating William Ward’s (1769–1823) Early Radicalism: An Archival Assessment of the 1797 Thelwall Riot in Derby and the Parties Responsible

  Midland History · 2025-01-02

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Indifferent or impartial? Actor–observer asymmetries in expressing and evaluating sociopolitical neutrality.

  Journal of Experimental Psychology General · 2025-11-01

  article

  Opposing someone on a contentious sociopolitical issue often prompts criticism and conflict. People may be tempted to reduce such acrimony by expressing neutrality. Across 11 studies with North American samples, we find that, although people commonly express neutrality on controversial issues, observers are skeptical of others' neutrality, judging them as similarly moral as those who oppose them those who explicitly oppose them. Unpacking lay beliefs about why people express neutrality sheds light on this disjunction between responses to the neutral self versus the neutral other. Specifically, people render more favorable attributions for their own neutrality (e.g., true indecision) than do observers (e.g., apathy, strategic behavior). Therefore, while neutrality is an often-invoked strategy to manage impressions, it is unlikely to succeed in doing so. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• DEI Practices in Organizations: Effectiveness, Impact, and Unintended Consequences

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09

  article

  This symposium examines the complex and often contradictory nature of addressing workplace inequities through diversity initiatives. Organizations are increasingly investing in diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts, as evidenced by the prevalence of Chief Diversity Officers and comprehensive diversity training programs among Fortune 1000 companies. These efforts represent a deliberate strategy to cultivate equitable and inclusive workplaces. However, the symposium emphasizes the necessity of evaluating the impact of these practices to ensure they contribute to real and sustainable change, rather than being mere symbolic gestures. The studies featured explore the complex dynamics of workplace inequities and the often paradoxical outcomes of well-intentioned D&I efforts. These studies employ various methods such as surveys, audit studies, and experiments to assess organizational policies across different contexts. Key findings include: 1) Gender differences in EEOC judgments of merit, with claims filed by women in masculine industries more likely to be granted merit. 2) The impact of free speech appeals on reducing accountability for workplace bias, highlighting a failure in achieving D&I goals. 3) The concept of strategic ignorance in sexual harassment claims, indicating that claims of ignorance may not always be made in good faith. 4) The effectiveness of positive versus negative feedback in motivating equitable behaviors among city councilors. 5) The exploitation of first-generation college students in organizations due to positive stereotypes. These studies collectively reveal the intricate nature of addressing workplace inequities, underscoring the need for more nuanced and effective strategies in fostering true equity and fairness in the workplace. He Said She Said: How Gender Relates to Judgments about the Merit of Workplace Accusations Author: Grusha Agarwal; U. of Toronto, Rotman School of Management Author: Chloe Kovacheff; U. of Toronto Author: Rachel Lise Ruttan; U. of Toronto Author: Gabrielle Adams; U. of Virginia Darden School of Business Author: Katherine Ann DeCelles; U. of Toronto What About My Free Speech? Appeals to Free Speech Reduce Accountability for Workplace Bias Author: Ivuoma Ngozi Onyeador; - Author: Felix Danbold; UCL School of Management Playing Dumb: Strategic Ignorance about what Constitutes Sexual Harassment Author: Natalya Alonso; Beedie School of Business Simon Fraser U. Author: Zhanna Lyubykh; Beedie School of Business Simon Fraser U. Author: Sandy Hershcovis; U. of Calgary What motivates equitable behavior? The effects of positive & negative feedback in the domain of bias Author: Erika Kirgios; U. of Chicago Booth School of business Author: Edward Chang; Harvard Business School The Heroization and Exploitation of First-Generation College Students Author: Shuang Wu; Rady School of Management, U. of California San Diego Author: Peter Belmi; U. of Virginia

  PublisherDOI

• The Future of Relationships at Work

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09

  articleSenior author

  Existing work on trust relationships and relational repair, which encompasses forgiveness and trust repair, has often focused on the victim-transgressor dyad. The development and repair of such relationships, however, is influenced not only by the two involved parties, but also those embedded in the surrounding network. The methodologically diverse papers that comprise this symposium highlight recent research that provides a more complete picture of factors that influence relationships and the relational repair processes of trust repair and forgiveness, such as the network surrounding an embedded negotiating dyad, the role of third parties, and the impact of publicity. Altogether, the papers in the symposium seek to invite discussion and future research on the roles of multiple parties in building and rebuilding relationships. Overall, this work further contributes to our understanding of relational processes, which will be increasingly important to study as the nature of work continues to evolve. Not just the two of us: The role of emotions and third parties for trust repair Author: Jonathan Lee; U. of Minnesota Duluth Author: Rachel Lea Campagna; U. of New Hampshire Not all punishment is equal: Engendering third-party forgiveness after workplace injustice Author: Sarah Jensen; U. of Utah, David Eccles School of Business Author: Kristina Diekmann; U. of Utah Author: Jesse Graham; U. of Utah, David Eccles School of Business Do integrative tactics build trust? Looking beyond the negotiation? Author: Pri Pradhan Shah; U. of Minnesota Author: Stephen L. Jones; U. of Washington, Bothell Author: Dongil Jang; U. of Minnesota Author: SeoLa Kim; U. of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Professional Paths After Public Accusations of Misconduct Author: Erin Frey; U. of Southern California -Marshall School of Business Author: Samantha Martinez; USC Marshall School of Business Author: Scott Wiltermuth; USC Author: Gabrielle Adams; U. of Virginia Darden School of Business

  PublisherDOI

• Entendre les voix des jeunes de groupes marginalisés afin de prendre en compte la diversité en contexte éducatif : une métasynthèse de type descriptif

  Revue éducation inclusive · 2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  La prise en compte de la diversité revêt une importance capitale dans notre société et tout particulièrement dans les milieux éducatifs. Bien que cette orientation soit prégnante dans les discours politiques ou dans ceux des acteurs et actrices du milieu de l’éducation, force est de constater que les expériences scolaires des jeunes de groupes marginalisés semblent témoigner que cette prise en compte ne leur permet pas de ressentir un bienêtre à l’école. Pour contribuer à la compréhension de cet écart, le présent article fait état des résultats issus d’une métasynthèse descriptive ayant analysé un corpus de 18 recherches qualitatives portant sur la prise en compte de la diversité en contexte éducatif en s’attardant aux voix de ces jeunes. Des constats et des recommandations ont été relevés des écrits scientifiques, puis ont été mis en relation avec les propos des jeunes s’étant exprimés sur la prise en compte de la diversité à l’école dans le cadre du 6 e séminaire annuel du Réseau de recherche et de valorisation de la recherche sur le bien-être et la réussite en contexte de diversité (RÉVERBÈRE).

  PublisherDOI

• Effects of ancestral information on social connectedness and life meaning

  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · 2023-11-21 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• La compréhension conceptuelle des fractions : un défi pour l’enseignement

  Formation et profession · 2023-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  La compréhension conceptuelle des fractions : un défi pour l’enseignement. An article from journal Formation et profession (Évaluation des stagiaires en enseignement : de l’introspection à la prospection), on Érudit.

  PublisherDOI

• Identifying Consequences of Common Strategies for Impression Management

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2023-07-24

  article

  Impression management is a fundamental characteristic of social interaction that plays an essential role in maintaining social harmony. The present symposium seeks to understand how to foster effective workplace communication by identifying the consequences of common strategies for managing impressions. Ruttan, Adams, and DeCelles examine the unintended consequences of espousing neutrality on divisive political and moral issues. Abel, Rosenblum, and Zlatev contend that concealing an opposing stance on a political issue harms observers' perceptions of integrity but boosts perceptions of benevolence. Slepian redefines the concept of secrecy, illuminating new paths for understanding the experience of secrecy in people's lives. Finally, Chaudhry, Banerjee, and Wu examine the efficacy of strategies used by managers to make amends following organizational transgressions. Together, these papers provide a novel and unique perspective on impression formation and management, both inside and outside organizations. Miscalibrating the Consequences of Moral Neutrality Author: Rachel Lise Ruttan; U. of Toronto Author: Gabrielle Adams; U. of Virginia Author: Katherine Ann DeCelles; U. of Toronto Navigating difficult waters: Trading integrity for benevolence by avoiding political discussions Author: Jennifer Abel; Harvard Business School Author: Michael Rosenblum; U. of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business Author: Julian Jake Zlatev; Harvard Business School Having and Keeping Secrets Author: Michael Slepian; Columbia Business School Making amends with the audience: Manager use of public apologies and other amends-making strategies Author: Shereen J. Chaudhry; U. of Chicago Booth School of business Author: Akshina Banerjee; U. of Chicago Booth School of business Author: Linhui Wu; U. of Minnesota Carlson School of Management

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Frequent coauthors

• Erin Frey

  7 shared

• M. Ena Inesi

  London Business School

  7 shared

• Scott S. Wiltermuth

  6 shared

• Leanne ten Brinke

  University of British Columbia

  6 shared

• Peter Belmi

  University of Virginia

  5 shared

• Andrea E. Abele

  5 shared

• Mark D. Alicke

  Ohio University

  5 shared

• Monica Biernat

  5 shared

Education

• BA

  Colby College

• PhD, Organizational Behavior

  Stanford Graduate School of Business

Awards & honors

• UVA's All-University Research Award (2021, 2024)
• UVA's All-University Teaching Award (2021)
• Excellence in Teaching Award from the Jefferson Scholars Fou…
• 40 Best Business School Professors Under 40 by Poets & Quant…