Dr. Lilia M. Cortina

Lilia M. Cortina, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology, Women’s Studies, and Management & Organizations at the University of Michigan. An organizational psychologist, she investigates the many ways in which people are subordinated, violated, and relegated to the margins of organizational life. These interpersonal indignities range from subtle social slights to general incivility to blatant harassment and violence. Professor Cortina’s scholarship spans the full spectrum, with a particular focus on incivility and harassment based on gender/sex. To date, she has published nearly 80 scientific articles and chapters on these topics. In recognition of unusual and outstanding contributions to the field, Professor Cortina has been named Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Professor Cortina’s research on workplace harassment has won awards, but its impact stretches beyond academia and into other professional spheres. She has served as an expert witness in a range of venues, translating findings from social science to inform policy and legal decision-making. For example, she provided expert testimony to the Department of Defense Judicial Proceedings Panel; commissioned by Congress, this Panel conducted an independent review of military judicial procedures surrounding sexual assault. She also testified to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace. In addition, Professor Cortina was part of a committee that authored a major report on sexual harassment for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

In addition to research, Professor Cortina is Associate Director of the University of Michigan’s ADVANCE Program, which supports faculty diversity and excellence in all fields (especially science and engineering). Cortina is also Co-Director of the ICOS Program. ICOS, or the Interdisciplinary Committee on Organizational Studies, has the single goal of enhancing the University of Michigan’s strength as a world center for interdisciplinary research and scholarship on organizations.

Professor Cortina earned her A.M. and Ph.D in Psychology (with a graduate minor in Quantitative Methods) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.