Dr. Derek Avery believes that “research is me-search.” Although you won’t find an autobiography in his 20-page curriculum vitae, dozens of his articles, book chapters, cases and columns have been prompted by his personal philosophy and experience.     

Avery is a leading expert in workplace discrimination and diversity, including how gender, race and ethnicity affect employee recruitment, retention, engagement and performance, among many other issues. He is one of 19 full-time faculty members to join the Fox School in Fall 2010 and one of two new additions to the Human Resource Management (HRM) Department.

Avery joins Fox as an associate professor with tenure. Most recently, he taught psychology and management at the University of Houston, but he says he feels more at home in business – especially in a business school known for its diversity.

Nationally respected for his leadership in the field, Avery has received many honors, including best paper awards and recognition in Academic Key’s “Who’s Who in Business Higher Education.” In 2006, he was named one of 35 inaugural Rutgers University Leaders in Diversity.

Avery’s vitae features nearly 50 publications and studies on topics ranging from customer discrimination and workplace recruitment to demographics of professional sports teams.

“I love to study the underdog,” he said. “If I can provide enough education for folks who are learning to become the leaders of tomorrow to be able to institute these practices and policies in their organizations, then we won’t continue to make the same mistakes in terms of underutilizing people.”

Avery said the idea of equality was an integral part of his upbringing – both his father and grandfather were civil rights attorneys. This fall, he is teaching two undergraduate courses at Fox – intro to human resource management and a special topics course in diversity. He said his favorite strategy in the classroom is to keep students “off-balance” and “outside of their comfort zones,” presenting them with difficult scenarios they could face in the workplace.

And Fox students aren’t the only ones excited by Avery’s move to Philadelphia. Dr. Patrick McKay, associate professor of human resource management at nearby Rutgers, is one of Avery’s closest colleagues – and best friends. 

“I strongly admire Derek. He’s old-fashioned in that he works hard and earns the respect of his colleagues,” McKay said. “Given his reputation in the field, he brings an air of prestige, quality and productivity to the department.”

This type of work ethic is allowing Avery to work on six ongoing projects, including one that explores how fans support NBA teams in regard to the demographic make-up of the players. Another project seeks to understand if customers prefer to be waited on by an employee of the same race.

Avery is a prolific author and has published more than 30 articles in major journals, including the Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior and Journal of Business and Psychology. Amid his own projects, he also finds time to serve on the editorial boards of five journals, including the Journal of Applied Psychology and Personnel Psychology. 

He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Tulane University and his master’s degree and PhD in industrial/organizational psychology from Rice University.

Deanna Geddes, associate professor and chair of Fox’s HRM Department, said Avery “will be a great complement to our existing faculty.”

“We look forward to having him provide top teaching and research for many years,” she said.

– Julie Achilles