Assistant Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., Purdue University

Zhixu (Rick) Yang

Contact Information
Office: VC 8-298
Email: Zhixu.Yang@baruch.cuny.edu

Lab: Conflict and Well-being (CoWell) Lab (external website: cowelllab.org)

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Dr. Zhixu (Rick) Yang is an organizational psychologist and Director of the Conflict and Well-being (CoWell) Lab. His research examines how people experience and navigate conflict—among their own goals, in interpersonal interactions, and across social groups—and how these experiences shape individual and organizational well-being. Drawing on theories from social, cognitive, cultural, and organizational psychology, his work employs a wide range of methods, including psychometrics, longitudinal, experimental, dyadic, person-centered, qualitative, and mixed approaches.

Dr. Yang's research has been published in leading journals and handbooks, including Nature Reviews Psychology, Applied Psychology: An International Review, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Translational Issues in Psychological Science, and the Handbook of Experimental Social Psychology. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Business and Psychology and has served as an ad hoc reviewer for more than a dozen academic journals.

Dr. Yang is an Assistant Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Baruch College, City University of New York, and is affiliated with the CUNY Graduate Center, where he mentors doctoral students. He teaches Research Methods in Psychology and Research Practicum in Psychology at the undergraduate level and Applied Statistical Analysis at the graduate level. He is passionate about mentoring and collaborating with students from diverse backgrounds and at different stages of their academic and professional development.

Representative Publications:

  • Yang, Z. R. (2026). The diverse psychological processes of dehumanization. Nature Reviews Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-026-00546-1

  • Yang, Z. R., Kung, F. Y. H., & Schneider, D. (2025). Individual preferences in multiple goal pursuit: Reconsidering the conceptualization and dimensionality of polychronicity. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 74(1), e12575. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12575

  • Yang, Z. R. & Kung, F. Y. H. (2025). How individuals navigate and mitigate intergroup conflicts: Current insights and future directions. In S. D. Stern (Eds.) Handbook of Experimental Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035310661.00029

  • Yang, Z. R. & Kung, F. Y. H. (2024). Toward a culturally sensitive perspective on silence in organizations. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 17(3), 366–370. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2024.24

  • Yang, Z. R., Kung, F. Y. H., Brienza, J., & Chao, M. M. (2024). Bridging social divides: The role of wise reasoning in improving intergroup relations. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 10(1), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000389

Representative Presentations:

  • Yang, Z. R. (Presenter) & Kung, F. Y. H. (2026, April 29). Mechanistic dehumanization as a barrier to inclusion for Asian workers in the US [Talk]. Inclusive Workplace Practices Research Community Forum at Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, United States.

  • Yang, Z., Kunstman, J., & Kung, F. Y. H. (2025, April). Mechanistic dehumanization and social pain minimization as vulnerability factors for well-being among Asian workers in the U.S. In Yang, L. & Yang, Z. (2025, April), Beyond the model minority: Challenges and barriers impacting Asian workers’ outcomes [Symposium]. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, Denver, CO, United States.

  • Yang, Z., Kung, F. Y. H., & Chao, M. M. (2024, August). Wise Reasoning and Subjective Values in Conflict Communication. In Mitchell, T. D. & Yang, Z. (2024, August). Identity and Individual Differences in Workplace Negotiations. Symposium at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Chicago, IL, United States.

  • Yang, Z. & Kung, F. Y. H. (2024, February). A Dual-Engagement Framework and Measure of Goal Conflict Management Strategies. In Yang, Z. & Büchner, A. Navigating Conflicts in Goal Pursuit: A Multidimensional Perspective. Symposium at the 26th Annual Convention of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA, United States.