Susan Zhu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Education
- Ph.D., University of Connecticut, 2018
- M.A., University of Connecticut, 2015
- B.A., Wake Forest University, 2012
Susan Zhu is an assistant professor of management at the University of Kentucky. Her research interests include workplace decision-making, Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and policies, and interpersonal dynamics in teamwork settings including advice exchange, workplace ostracism and workplace venting. Her research has been published in the Journal of Management, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, MIT Sloan Management Review and others. She also serves on the editorial board of Personnel Psychology.
Susan is currently the PI on a $3M Department of Defense grant (2025-2028); researching how leadership, teamwork and social network approaches can improve cohesion and performance in the military. She has secured nearly $5M in research funding and has collaborated with the Department of Commerce and the White House on policy research to modernize hiring and promote employer-led training in U.S. businesses. Susan is particularly interested in research questions that can generate practical insights and applications to inform managers and organizations.
Susan received her Ph.D. from University of Connecticut and B.A. from Wake Forest University. Prior to joining UK, she was a senior research associate at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and a visiting scholar at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
Teaching Expertise:
- HR Analytics
- People Analytics
- Human Resource Management
- Organizational Behavior
Research Expertise:
- Decision Making
- Human Resource Management (HRM) practices
- Workplace Ostracism
- Workplace Mistreatment
Selected Publications:
- Zhu, X., He, Y., Solanelles, P., & Cullen-Lester, K. (2025). Examining the dynamic relational effects of “letting off steam”: The co-evolution of workplace venting and advice-giving ties. Personnel Psychology
- Li, Y., Song, Y., Wang, M., Wu, Y., Zhu, X., & Alonso, A. (2024). Inclusion management practices as a pathway to enhance organizational resilience in response to a crisis. Personnel Psychology
- Zhu, X., Wolfson, M.A., Dalal, D.K, & Mathieu, J.E. (2021). Team decision making: The dynamic effects of team decision style composition and performance via decision strategy. Journal of Management
- Fath, S., Larrick, R. P., Soll, J. B. & Zhu, X. (2021). Why putting on blinders can help us see more clearly. MIT Sloan Management Review
