Faculty

Claire Daviss joined the ILR faculty in fall 2025 as an assistant professor in the Department of Organizational Behavior. She hopes her research into how workplaces contribute to inequality will lead to real-world solutions.

Michael Lovenheim, professor of economics at the ILR School and in the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, has been appointed the next editor of the Journal of Human Resources.

ILR faculty and students were recognized at the 33rd annual McPherson Honors and Awards Dinner held on April 20 at the Statler Hotel.

Harry Katz was honored at a conference the weekend of April 11-12 as fellow scholars, colleagues and mentees presented papers that draw on his work by extending the context in which his insights are applied, his methods used and theoretical assumptions made.

Merrick Osborne joined the ILR faculty in 2025 as an assistant professor in the Department of Organizational Behavior. He hopes his work will challenge assumptions about how traditionally marginalized people operate, and that the findings will help laypeople more effectively navigate their workplaces.

The ILR School’s Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW) recently awarded three seed grants for new research that addresses questions around the intersection of AI and organizations, employment and work.

Patricia Campos-Medina, executive director of the Worker Institute at Cornell, served as co-chair of the Jobs, Opportunity, and Prosperity for All action team, which was tasked with developing job and economic growth strategies for New Jersey.

Researchers at ILR's Yang-Tan Institute are studying the experiences of Autistic jobseekers in STEM to understand interview challenges and develop recommendations for improving the hiring process.

Justine Modica joined the ILR faculty in the summer of 2025 as an assistant professor in the Department of Global Labor and Work. She is a scholar of care work and, more broadly, reproductive labor.

M. Diane Burton, the Joseph R. Rich ’80 Professor of Human Resource Studies, was appointed by Dean Alex Colvin, Ph.D. ’99, as the ILR School’s senior associate dean for research, outreach and external relations.

Scientific inquiry, practical solutions and pioneering strategies led by Susanne Bruyère have changed work cultures around the world to include more people with disabilities.

After 30 years at the ILR School, Rosemary Batt retired prior to the 2025-26 academic year. Instead of an ending, the Alice Hanson Cook Professor of Women and Work, Emerita, views it as just another phase of her career – one that will bring an exciting element of renewal to her research.

Dionne Pohler has been elected the inaugural David and Alexandra Lipsky Professor in Dispute Resolution and Labor Relations. The Cornell Board of Trustees approved the professorship, which began Nov. 1.  

ILR Dean Alex Colvin delivered the keynote address at the Oct. 14 “Emerging Tech Dialogues: The Future of Work: People, Process, and Technology” conference in Statler Hall at Cornell University.

The YWCA will recognize Campos-Medina for bold leadership that drives equity and opportunity for women and communities.

AI is causing a major shift in today’s workplace and raising many concerns. Two new grants will fund ILR research aimed at providing insights to policymakers, union leaders, managers and others who are shaping the future of AI in the workplace.

Numerous ILR School faculty members have law degrees. Their specialties cover diverse areas, from the intellectual and moral origins of the American Constitution to public sector employment law to technological change and anti-discrimination law.

Paul Ortiz, a professor in the Department of Global Labor and Work, joined the ILR faculty in the fall of 2024 after 15 years in the history department at the University of Florida. 

Virginia Doellgast recently concluded her role as SASE president when the organization held its most recent conference this past July in Montreal.

Peter Bamberger, ’82, M.S. ’84, Ph.D. ’90, recently concluded his run as president of the Academy of Management, the world’s largest professional association for management and organization scholars.

Devin Wiggs, who joined the ILR faculty in the fall of 2024, is an assistant professor in the Department of Global Labor and Work. His research examines organized labor’s relationship to finance capital.

The ILR School will welcome four new faculty members who begin July 1. The school's Global Labor and Work Department welcomes Justine Modica and Dionne Pohler, while Claire Daviss and Merrick Osborne join the Department of Organizational Behavior.