Chad McPherson

I received my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from Augustana College (IL) in 1999. For the next several years, I was blessed to work in the field of addictions and mental health counseling.

I received my MA in Sociology here at Iowa in 2009. After successfully navigating the arduous comprehensive exam process, I’m currently beginning the process of building my dissertation prospectus.

Broadly identified, my areas of interest include organizations, social psychology, culture, cognition and emotion, and theory. Slightly more specific, my research interests in social psychology include the intersection of cultural ideas and the way people cognitively and emotionally process, understand, and create meaning from cultural information. In addition, I’m interested in self and identities. I consider my organizational interests to include neo-institutional theory, inhabited institutionalism, hybrid organizations, and the role of institutional logics at the micro-level. In addition, I am currently immersed in multiple projects examining third-party rankings in relation to the organizations that are the focus of those rankings.

When away from academia, I enjoy spending time with my unfailingly supportive wife Tina. We enjoy spending time with our family and friends, eating, and playing. I’m still a die-hard, heartbroken Cubs fans.