Rudolf Kerschreiter

Professor Rudolf Kerschreiter is a full Professor (W3 position) and Head of the Division of Social, Organizational and Economic Psychology at Freie Universität Berlin's Department of Education and Psychology. He has held this position since 2019, following his prior role as Professor (W2 position) at the same institution from 2011-2019. He also serves as Speaker of the Board of the Berlin Leadership Academy of the Berlin University Alliance and has been a Visiting Lecturer at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) Berlin since 2018.

His educational background includes a Diploma in Psychology (Dipl.-Psych.) from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich in 2000, a Doctorate (Dr. phil.) in Social Psychology from the same institution in 2003, and a Habilitation at the Department of Psychology and Education at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich in 2009.

Professor Kerschreiter's research spans multiple interconnected domains within social and organizational psychology. His primary focus is on identity leadership, examining how leaders shape group identity and influence member outcomes across various contexts. He has developed significant theoretical frameworks around inclusive leadership, ethical/destructive leadership, and leader-follower interactions. His work on virtual teams explores cooperation, feedback mechanisms, and identification processes in distributed work environments. Additional research streams include social identity in migration contexts, social exclusion phenomena, motivation and goal setting for healthy and environmentally friendly behavior, and preference-consistent information processing in decision making. His methodological approach combines traditional questionnaire and experimental studies with advanced techniques including large-scale household data analysis and computational text analysis.

Analysis of Professor Kerschreiter's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on identity leadership theory and measurement, with significant contributions to understanding how leadership shapes group dynamics across organizational, political, and social contexts. His work increasingly integrates neuroscience perspectives with social psychology, particularly in examining neural responses to social exclusion. There's also a growing focus on practical applications of leadership research in virtual environments, sustainability initiatives, and migration contexts, reflecting contemporary societal challenges. His collaborative work spans multiple countries and disciplines, demonstrating the international recognition of his theoretical contributions.

• Teaching Award of the Bavarian Ministry of Education and the Arts (2009)
• Teaching Award of the Department of Psychology and Education, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich (2007)
• Burgen Scholar Award of the Academia Europaea (2005)

Professor Kerschreiter has been actively involved in academic service, serving on editorial boards for prominent journals including the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, Organizational Psychology Review, and the German Journal of Human Resource Management. He chairs examination boards for Master's degree programs in Psychology and has served on numerous appointment and habilitation committees. His research has been supported by various funding sources, including Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) grants. He supervises doctoral candidates and Master's students, with his team including researchers like Dr. Robin Bachmann, Dr. Daniel May, and Dr. Jana Mahlke, who contribute to his diverse research portfolio.

The Division of Social, Organizational and Economic Psychology under Professor Kerschreiter's leadership comprises a diverse team of researchers, postdocs, and student assistants working collaboratively on multiple projects. Current team members include Dr. Robin Bachmann, Dr. Daniel May, Dr. Jana Mahlke, Frederike Hennig, and several student assistants. The division maintains affiliations with researchers like Prof. Dr. Jenny Sarah Wesche and Prof. Dr. Lisa Handke, and collaborates with external partners such as Oliver Watzal. The group actively engages in both theoretical research and practical applications, with connections to the Berlin Leadership Academy and various industry partners.