Two Rice University faculty members have been recognized with national awards from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), highlighting the university’s impact on research that shapes understanding of work, well-being and organizational life.
Danielle King, associate dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies and associate professor of psychological sciences, received the Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Science Award, which honors one early career scholar whose research has made significant contributions to the science of industrial-organizational psychology within 10 years of earning a terminal degree. Recipients are selected for work that advances scientific knowledge while maintaining strong relevance to real-world workplace experiences.
“I feel very grateful and proud that the work I have done since earning my Ph.D. is valued and deemed impactful in our field,” King said.
King’s research focuses on employee experiences at work, including resilience, well-being and the organizational conditions that shape how people recover from adversity.
Rice has played a key role in supporting King’s research trajectory, she added. Internal grants, interdisciplinary collaboration and institutional investment have helped transform early ideas into published work with broad reach.
“Rice has been fertile soil for my work to grow,” King said. “The facilities, funding and support here allow research to move beyond academic journals and engage wider audiences.”
Also recognized this year was Eden King, the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Psychological Sciences, who received the SIOP Humanitarian Award, which honors individuals whose work applies psychology to improve people’s lives.
“When you ask new psychology majors about their goals, they will often say they want to help people,” Eden King said. “That’s what I wanted to do when I took PSYC 100, and it’s what I want to do today.”
She described the recognition as both meaningful and motivating.
“Receiving this award is an incredible honor that I will work hard to deserve,” she said. “To be honest, I feel like it should be relabeled a ‘striving to be humanitarian’ award because it’s something I think I need to work toward for my whole life.”
Eden King’s work focuses on understanding how people experience the workplace, particularly individuals from groups that have been historically excluded, and on identifying policies, practices and procedures that help create more equitable and supportive organizational environments.
“Americans spend so much time at work, and so much of who we are is defined by the work we do,” she said. “My colleagues, students and I are trying to understand what people are experiencing at work and how to make the workplace better for everyone.”
“Danielle and Eden are prolific scholars who are stars in industrial-organizational psychology,” said Rachel Kimbro, dean of the School of Social Sciences. “It is delightful to see them both receive these well-deserved honors.”