Ruth Kanfer

Ruth Kanfer is a Professor of work and Organizational Psychology and Director of the Work Science Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a leading scholar and thought leader in work motivation and engagement, job search and reemployment, and learning across the lifespan. Her current interests focus on workforce reskilling and post-pandemic work design. As Director of the Work Science Center she participates in and facilitates multidisciplinary projects examining the effects of technology on work identity, engagement, and work design.

Dr Kanfer is an applied scientist who uses theory to address contemporary workplace issues. She has published over 125 articles and chapters, and is well-known for her work examining the use of goals, self-regulation strategies, and self-efficacy to enhance skill training, job search and reemployment, and job performance. Her interest in workforce aging led to work on age-related differences in work motives and their implications for managers. As the pace of new technologies and automation has accelerated, Dr Kanfer has focused on delineating the factors that enhance reskilling motivation and online training success among working adults. Her research and consulting activities in these areas span a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, information technology, engineering, healthcare, and air traffic control. Her research has been supported by national agencies, foundations, and private organizations, including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Society for Human Resource Management, the Spencer Foundation, and the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE USA).

Dr. Kanfer has received national awards for her work from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Academy of Management (AoM), and the American Psychological Association. She served on the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committees that produced consensus study reports on "How People Learn II: Context, Content, and Cultures," and "Are Generational Categories Meaningful Distinctions for Workforce Management?" She has also served on editorial boards in I/O and social psychology, on scientific advisory boards, on the AoM Board of Governors, and as AoM Organizational Behavior Division Chair.

She is a Fellow of the Academy of Management, American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Sciences, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.