Article archive / September 2022
Originally published: . Volume 13, No. 9. Source pages: 7.
The National Science Foundation has awarded Dr. Don Zhang, LSU Department of Psychology Assistant Professor, its Career Award, reported Sarah Keller from LSU News, for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The career award is Foundation's most prestigious grant for early-career faculty, reported Keller. The award is given to those who exhibit potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. Zhang's research is in the field of industrial and organizational psychology. "This highly competitive grant supports an individual’s research helping build a firm foundation for a lifetime of research and academic leadership," explained Keller. “We congratulate Dr. Zhang on this exceptional honor and his tremendous accomplishment,” said LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences Dean Troy Blanchard. “This is a testament to Dr. Zhang’s cutting-edge research and the impact he has already made in the field of industrial and organizational psychology.” According to the report, Zhang’s NSF Award will further his research on how risk-takers at work impact organizations. "In the workplace, risk takers are typically thought of as reckless and irresponsible. Multiple corporate catastrophes, such as the financial crisis of 2008 and Enron scandal, can be attributed – in part – to employees and leaders who took excessive risks. However, risk taking is also essential for innovation, courage and the fight against social injustice." Dr. Zhang said, “For these reasons, risk takers at work can be a liability and asset and it’s critical that we understand how to leverage employees’ appetite for risks toward virtue rather than malice,” According to the report, Dr. Zhang’s goal is to provide organizations with a valid measure of workplace risk taking to help their assessment and selection efforts. He hopes to help organizations with high-risk occupations, such as the chemical and manufacturing industries, to understand how to prevent safety problems and accidents caused by recklessness and risk taking. "With the support of this five-year $430,000 grant, Zhang will develop a workplace situational judgment test to assess risk propensity relative to the population as well as vocational guidance based on their level of risk tolerance. The instrument he will develop will be available to researchers, industry professionals and the general public," Keller wrote. "Zhang is currently a co-principal investigator on the NSF-funded Louis Stokes Center for Promotion of Academic Careers, or LS- PAC MODELS, at LSU. LS-PAC MODELS is a data-driven center of excellence dedicated to broadening participation in the STEM professoriate through mentoring, networking and professional development." For information Contact Sarah Keller, LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences.
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