Overview
Biography
Dr. Qi Zhang [‘Chee ‘Jahng] earned her Ph.D. from the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. Her research focuses on person-environment fit, examining how individuals align with their work environments and the impact of this alignment on workplace outcomes. Challenging the traditional view of fit as purely beneficial and misfit as inherently harmful, her work delves into the complexities and evolving nature of workplace fit, with a goal of understanding how employees experience fit or misfit, and how fit is established, improved, and sustained over time. Recognizing that “others” often form an integral part of one’s work environment, Dr. Zhang also studies social relationships in the workplace. Her research has been published in prestigious journals, including Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Journal of Business Ethics.
Career Interests
- Experiences of Person-Environment Fit: how people fit—or misfit—with their work environments; how they interpret and respond to their fit or misfit; and how these experiences form and evolve over time
- Interpersonal Relationships: how employees navigate relationships with their supervisors, coworkers, and other people in and out of work; the interpersonal outcomes of their actions; and how they manage their relationships in the long term
- Person-Environment Fit and Individual Differences (interests, motivation): theory, measurement, and applications of PE fit in personnel selection and staffing
Background
Education
- Ph.D., Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa
- M.S., Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Peking University
- B.S., Double Major in Biological Technology and Applied Psychology, Nankai University
Honors & Awards
Ralph Alexander Best Dissertation Award (August 2022), The Human Resources Division, Academy of Management
Graduate College Ballard-Seashore Dissertation Fellowship (Fall 2020), University of Iowa
Dare to Discover Research Campaign Showcase (Spring 2020), University of Iowa
Graduate College Summer Fellowship (Summer 2019), University of Iowa
Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Research Fellowship (Spring 2019), University of Iowa
Ross Fellowship (2015–2016), Purdue University
Dr. Charles H. Lawshe Graduate Fellowship (2015, 2016), Purdue University