Rob Austin McKee

Dr. Rob Austin McKee serves as an Associate Professor of Management in the Department of Management at the Marilyn Davies College of Business, University of Houston-Downtown. His academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in Management from the University of Houston's C.T. Bauer College of Business, complemented by an MBA and BA in Statistics and Psychology respectively from the same institution.

His educational credentials feature:

• Ph.D., University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business - Management
• Master of Business Administration, University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business - Statistics
• BA, University of Houston - Psychology with English emphasis

McKee's research program centers on experimental organizational behavior, investigating how visceral states, personality traits, and group dynamics influence decision-making and leadership effectiveness. His methodological rigor extends to self-other rating agreement studies and social loafing phenomena, contributing foundational insights into behavioral patterns within organizational contexts. Recent work examines sound sensitivities in workplace environments and employee voice mechanisms.

His publication trajectory since 2013 reveals evolving scholarly focus from leadership psychology and decision biases toward contemporary business education challenges and inclusive communication practices. The 2025-2023 corpus demonstrates particular emphasis on curriculum innovation, employee empowerment frameworks, and sensory-aware workplace design, while maintaining continuity in leadership assessment research.

His scientific recognition includes:

• Marilyn Davies Outstanding Research Award (August 2020)
• Excellence in Teaching Award from Faculty Senate (April 2022)

McKee actively mentors students through pitch competitions at University of Houston's Wolff Center and engages extensively with Houston's entrepreneurial ecosystem through RED Labs/Owl Spark accelerator and Prison Entrepreneurship Program. His institutional leadership spans Faculty Senate membership (2024-2026), chairing the Faculty Awards committee (2022-2023), and directing MDCOB's BBA/MBA Core Review Task Force. He contributes methodological expertise as a journal reviewer for Current Psychology and Journal of Business Strategy while advancing open educational resources through UHD's OpenStax partnership.