Biography

Dr. Thomas Sy is an award-winning scholar, teacher and consultant. He was named “Favorite Professor” by popular vote for four years straight, and recipient of the Distinguished Teach Award. He teaches and conducts research on leadership, followership and teams, with particular focus on schemas (implicit theories), identity, emotions, diversity, and unconscious processes and biases. His research is funded by the U.S. Army Research Institute, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and among others.

His research has been published in a variety of top outlets, including the Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Frontiers in Psychology, Asian American Journal of Psychology, as well appearing in popular media such as National Public Radio, London Times, Washington Post, and among others.

As a scientist-practitioner, Dr. Sy provides consulting, training, and coaching services to industry. He has served a variety of client organizations, including General Motors, Google, Zappos, Los Angeles County, Northrop Grumman, Salvation Army, EDS, Ford, Southern California Edison, Waste Management, Johnson & Johnson, Boeing, IBM, General Electric, U.S. Army Research Institute, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the United States Marine Corp Special Operations Command.

Dr. Sy completed his PhD in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan. He was formerly an advisor with a top-tier global management consultancy, specializing in corporate strategy and operations. Dr. Sy has also served in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) and was the Distinguished Honor (Top) Graduate of multiple military training programs: U.S. Army Leadership Program, U.S. Army Special Forces Program, and U.S. Army Egyptian Arabic Language Program. He enjoys Brazilian Jujitsu and creating abstract metal sculptures.