Samir Nurmohamed

Samir Nurmohamed is an Associate Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with tenure. His research focuses on how individuals respond to adversity at work, spanning motivation, behavioral ethics, resilience, and power dynamics.

• Education: Ph.D. in Management and Organizations from University of Michigan (Ross School of Business), B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from Huron University (University of Western Ontario).

Research interests center on adversity and motivation, including studies on underdog narratives, feedback seeking for alternate hires, and unethical behavior dynamics. His methodological approach combines field experiments, longitudinal surveys, and archival data analysis across diverse workplaces.

Notable scientific awards include the Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professor (Poets & Quants, 2025), multiple Wharton Teaching Excellence Awards, and Showcase Symposium Awards from the Academy of Management. He has taught core MBA courses like Foundations of Teamwork and Leadership and designed electives on Power & Politics in Organizations.

• Key Article Themes:
  • 2024: Alternate Choice Hires (social integration, feedback seeking).
  • 2023: Dirty Creativity (stigma mitigation in innovation) and Time Delays in Punishment (perceived unfairness).
  • 2022: Organizational Misconduct (macro-micro analysis of punitive severity).
  • 2021: Cover-Ups (in-group loyalty), Pay Inequality (demographic comparisons), and Underdog Narratives (overcoming discrimination).
  • 2018: Trash-Talking (competitive motivation and ethics).
  • 2013: Whistleblowing (social influence in reporting misconduct).

His work has been featured in New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American. He emphasizes practical applications through collaborations with organizations like Apple, Amazon, and the Cleveland Clinic.