PhD
Organization Studies
Organization Studies is a multidisciplinary group that brings together the concepts and research methodology of social psychology, sociology, anthropology, and other social sciences. The Organization Studies research group focuses on interactions across individuals, groups, organizations, and institutions, as well as organizational processes themselves. Faculty members—including Deborah Ancona, Kate Kellogg, Erin Kelly, Ray Reagans, and John Carroll—study topics such as distributed leadership, AI in everyday work, social capital, and the future of work.
Research from Organization Studies Faculty
Even AI won’t tolerate a ruthless negotiator
MIT Sloan researchers find that warm, empathetic AI agents consistently outperform cold, ruthless ones in a large-scale international AI negotiation competition
MIT Sloan’s 2026 summer book collection
Here are six titles connected to the MIT Sloan School of Management covering topics such as economic strategy, entrepreneurship, talent management, and cultural evolution in the age of AI.
How ‘learnrights’ would compensate creators for AI model training
Learnright laws would give copyright holders the exclusive right to license their content for artificial intelligence model training.
How generative AI ‘persuasion bombs’ users — and how to fight back
When professionals try to validate outputs, generative AI often responds not with corrections or candor but with escalating persuasion tactics.
Select Organization Studies Faculty
Standing Faculty
Deborah L. Ancona
Seley Distinguished Professor of Management
Deborah Ancona is the Seley Distinguished Professor of Management, a Professor of Organization Studies, and the Founder of the MIT Leadership Center at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her pioneering research into how successful teams operate has…
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Emilio J. Castilla
NTU Professor of Management
Emilio J. Castilla is the NTU Professor of Management and a Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Castilla is currently the co-director of the Institute for Work and Employment Research. He joined the MIT…
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Jared R. Curhan
Gordon Kaufman Professor of Management
Jared Curhan is the Gordon Kaufman Professor and a Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management, as well as Faculty Director of MIT’s Behavioral Research Lab. Curhan specializes in the psychology of negotiation…
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Example PhD Thesis Topics
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Raquel Kessinger (2024)
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James Mellody (2024)
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Alan Zhang (2024)
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Vanessa Conzon (2021)
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Jenna Myers (2021)