JR Keller is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Studies and Faculty Director of the Executive Master's in Human Resource Management (EMHRM) program at the ILR School at Cornell University. His research and advising focus on how firms can make better decisions about hiring, developing, and rewarding talent. In addition, he has spent much of the past year researching and developing teaching tools to help HR practitioners understand the potential and the limitations of infusing AI into their talent management processes.
His work has appeared in several leading academic and practitioner outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Harvard Business Review, Industrial & Labor Relations Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Management Science, MIT Sloan Management Review, People & Strategy, Personnel Psychology, and Organization Science.
Prior to pursuing a Ph.D., JR had two careers – the first as a financial analyst and the second as a career consultant. JR earned his Ph.D. in Management from the Wharton School of Business and holds a Master's in Adult Education from Indiana University and undergraduate degrees in Finance and Computer Applications from the University of Notre Dame.
Journal Articles
*denotes equal co-authors
Yiu, S., Bidwell, M., and Keller, J. (2026). Pipelines and sprinkler systems: Documenting the speed/flexibility tradeoff in how jobs shape promotion. Academy of Management Journal.
Klein K., Schwartz, S., Keller, J., Harrison, D., Vittengl, J., and Cohen, A. (2026). For good and for bad: The distinctive effects of successors’ leadership on collective engagement and organizational performance. Journal of Applied Psychology.
Bidwell, M. and Keller, J. (2025) Stepping sideways to step up: Lateral mobility and career advancement inside organizations. Management Science, 71(1): 240-261.
Kehoe, R., Brymer, R., Keller, J., and Kim, J. Y. (2024). Hiring by professional affiliation: The benefits and challenges of leveraging prospective hires’ prior employment ties to improve matching and access to resources. Personnel Psychology, 72(2): 497-526.
*Keller, J., and *Dlugos, K. (2023). Advance 'em to attract 'em: How promotions influence applications in internal talent markets. Academy of Management Journal, 66(6): 1831-1859.
Baek M., Bidwell, M., and Keller, J. (2022). My manager moved! Manager mobility and subordinates’ career outcomes. Organization Science, 33(5): 1861-1888
*McCarthy, J. and *Keller, J. (2022). How managerial openness to voice shapes internal attraction: Evidence from United States school systems. ILR Review, 75(4): 1001-1023.
*Cobb, A., *Keller, J., & *Nurmohamed, S. (2022). How do I compare? The effect of work-unit demographics on reactions to pay inequality. ILR Review, 75(3): 665-692.
Keller, J, Kehoe, R., Bidwell, M., Collings, D. & Myer, A. (2021). In with the old? Examining when boomerang employees outperform new hires. Academy of Management Journal, 64(6), 4654-1684.
*Dlugos, K. & *Keller, J. (2021). Turned down and taking off? Rejection and turnover in internal talent markets. Academy of Management Journal, 64(1): 63-85.
Keller, J. (2018) Posting and slotting: How hiring processes shape quality of hire and compensation in internal labor markets. Administrative Science Quarterly, 63(4): 848-878.
*Bidwell, M. J., & *Keller, J. (2014). Within or without? How firms combine internal and external labor markets to fill jobs. Academy of Management Journal, 57(5): 1035-1055.
Cappelli, P., & Keller, J. (2014). Talent management: Conceptual approaches and practical challenges. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1: 305–331.
Cappelli, P., & Keller, J. (2013). Classifying work in the new economy. Academy of Management Review, 38(4): 575–596.
Cappelli, P., & Keller, J. (2013). A study of the extent and potential causes of alternative employment arrangements. ILR Review, 66(4): 874–901.
Additional Publications
D’Ambrose, M. & Keller, J. (2026). This is our moment to reinvent HR from the ground up. In Nyberg A., Kehoe, R., Ulrich, D., & P. Wright (Eds), The age of HR: Delivering stakeholder value through strategic organizational capability: Talent, leadership, and culture. Center for Executive Succession, Darla Moore School of Business, ILR School, Cornell University, The RBL Group.
Keller, J., & Dlugos, K. (2024). Why you should let your favorite employee move to another team. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://shop.sloanreview.mit.edu/store/why-you-should-let-your-favorite-employee-move-to-another-team
Keller, J., Gardner, T. & Winn, B. (2022). They’ve got leaving on their minds: Leading for keeps amid the big quit. People & Strategy, Spring 2022: 50-54.
Keller, J., & Dlugos K. (2021). Why rejected internal candidates end up quitting. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/07/research-why-rejected-internal-candidates-end-up-quitting
Keller, J. (2019). Book review: High tech and high touch: Headhunting, technology, and economic transformation. Administrative Science Quarterly.
Keller, J. (2019). To post or not to post? Making better internal hires. Work in progress: Sociology on the economy, work and inequality. http://www.wipsociology.org/2019/09/22/to-post-or-not-to-post-making-better-internal-hires/
Cappelli, P., & Keller, J. (2017). The historical context of talent management. In W. Cascio, D. Collings, & K. Mellahi (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Talent Management. Oxford University Press.
Keller, J. (2015). The best way to hire from inside your company. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2015/06/the-best-way-to-hire-from-inside-your-company
Keller, J., & Cappelli, P. (2014). A supply chain approach to talent management. In P. Sparrow (Ed.), Strategic Talent Management: Contemporary Issue in an International Context. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Keller, J., & Cappelli, P. (2013). Employment Relationships. In V. Smith (Ed.), Sociology of Work: An Encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Media Coverage
eCornell Keynote Presentation. The surprising benefit of hiring job hoppers. 2026.
Business Insider. AI chatbots are coming for white-collar job interviews. 2026.
eCornell Keynote Presentation. The power of advocacy. 2026.
Harvard Business Review. The delicate politics of hiring someone from another team. 2026.
You Should Know podcast by WRKdefined. 2026.
Directionally Correct, A People Analytics Podcast (Episode #156). 2026.
eCornell Keynote Presentation. Navigating the modern job market. 2025.
eCornell Keynote Presentation. Welcome aboard: Four tips for improving employee onboarding. 2025.
eCornell Keynote Presentation. Five essential tips for interviewers. 2024.
eCornell Keynote Presentation. Internal talent mobility. 2023.
Sirius XM Wharton Business Daily. Pay inequity and turnover. 2021.
Wall Street Journal. After Covid, should companies rehire ex-employees? 2021.
eCornell Keynote Presentation. Building inclusive workplace cultures. 2020.
AOM Insights. Keeping rejected internal job applicants on board. 2020.
Wall Street Journal. When winner-take-all battles backfire at work. 2018.
CAHRS Webcast. Making the most of internal hiring. 2018.
Financial Times. The academics who study the secrets of work. 2017.
ABC Radio. How to get the best outcomes when hiring internally. 2017.
Sirius XM Business Radio. Zappos and holocracies. 2015.
In the Workplace on Sirius XM Business Radio, Guest Host. 2015.
Slate. Who’s the boss? No one. 2014.
Professional activities
Faculty Director, Executive Master of Human Resource Studies Program (2024-present)
Associate Director of Research and Corporate Outreach, ILR WIDE (2022–present)
Leadership Track, Strategic Human Capital Interest Group @ Strategic Management Society (2025-present)
Organizing Committee, People and Organizations Conference (2021-present)
Editorial Board: Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Human Resource Management Review