Industrial-Organizational Psychology Concentration

Zihao Jia, 2025

Zihao Jia recently accepted a prestigious academic position as a visiting professor at Indiana University's Business School. Zihao published Organizational Research Methods (5-year Impact Factor: 12.7) as the first author and coauthored five additional journal articles. He won first prize in the Society for Industrial and Organizational psychology's (SIOP) Machine Learning Competition in 2024 and received the Best Paper Award from the International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC) in 2024.  
 
What was your specific area of study and how did you choose it? Please describe your dissertation. 
My research focuses on the application of artificial intelligence in industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology, particularly in areas such as AI-based assessment and automated item generation. My dissertation explores the use of large language models (LLMs) to streamline scale development to reduce the burden of data collection. 
 
How did your academic experiences in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences impact you? 
The I/O program provided a strong and comprehensive academic experience. When I entered the program, I had limited experience with research and publications, but throughout my PhD training, I gained extensive skills and knowledge that significantly advanced my development as a researcher. 
 
Which accomplishments during your time at George Mason are you most proud of? 
I published a first-author paper on the Organizational Research Method journal. 
 
Are there faculty or staff members who made a difference during your George Mason career? 
I am deeply grateful to my advisor, Professor Philseok Lee, for his invaluable support and mentorship. He introduced me to topics in AI and natural language processing, which have since become the core focus of my research. Beyond his academic guidance, he has been an exceptionally kind and supportive mentor, always patient and encouraging, even when I made mistakes. I also sincerely appreciate the guidance of Professor Seth Kaplan and Professor Reeshad Dalal, whose insights were instrumental in shaping my dissertation and other research projects. 
 
What advice would you give to an incoming cohort of graduate students? 
Enjoy life, time flies fast. 
 
What are your current career plans following graduation? What are your long-term career goals? 
I am going to be a visiting assistant professor in the Kelly Business School, Indiana University. My long-term career plan is to become a tenure-track professor.