Professor Helena Cooper-Thomas
IAS Open Programme
Auckland University of Technology
Dr Helena Cooper-Thomas is Professor of Organizational Behavior at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand. Her research is predominantly empirical—both quantitative and qualitative—and focuses on development and change in employees’ relationships with each other and their employing organization, in particular the onboarding and socialization of new employees.
Helena has authored over 70 peer-reviewed international publications in journals and has also contributed to a number of scholarly books, either as author, co-author or co-editor. Helena enjoys teaching, particularly supervising graduate research students.
In terms of service, from 2022-2025 Helena is serving on the Academy of Management’s Organizational Behavior (OB) Division Executive, having been voted on as a Representative-at-Large to help organize activities for the ~6,000 OB Division members, especially in relation to the AOM Annual Conference. Within New Zealand, in 2012 Helena instigated the Aotearoa New Zealand Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behaviour Conference, and has continued to co-organize and support this annual event, now approaching its 12th iteration. She currently sits on the New Zealand Royal Society Marsden Panel for Economics and Human Behavior (2022-2024).
During their IAS Fellowship, Professor Cooper-Thomas is collaborating with Professor Jo Silvester from the Loughborough Business School.