Hamidreza Harati

Dr Harati is a Lecturer in the School of Management at RMIT University. His research explores how individuals and communities overcome adversity, turning limitations into strengths. In other words, he investigates the “silver lining” of adversity: how constraints, rather than simply hindering success, can motivate people to grow, adapt, and excel. Specifically, he examines how challenges such as limited resources, social, economic, and ecological barriers, often seen as obstacles, can become catalysts for resilience, innovation, and even competitive advantage. His work seeks to understand how we can support marginalised individuals, groups, and societies to thrive amid difficult conditions.

Dr Harati adopts a multi-level and multi-method approach to explore change across individuals, organisations, and broader societies. Notably, one of his studies demonstrates how people living with limited access to water develop adaptive behaviours rooted in long-term orientation and self-restraint. This research has implications for addressing global sustainability challenges, including Climate Change, and has been recognised in the media for its contribution.

Dr Harati's research has been published in academic outlets, including Psychological Science. Dr Harati's contributions to Sustainability research were recognised with the 2024 Emerging Sustainability Scholar Award, further solidifying his influence in the field. He also presented at conferences, including the Academy of Management, Association for Psychological Science, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, British Academy of Management, Southern Management Association, and the AU and NZ Academy of Management. Before joining RMIT University, Dr Harati worked for six years as an academic at the University of Queensland, where he received the Excellence Award in Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a Senior Management Consultant, gaining practical experience across various aspects of business and organisational dynamics.

Dr Harati's research has garnered a wider audience through various media outlets such as ChicagoBooth Review, its podcast, Association for Psychological Science, MedicalXpress, Inside Water, Mirage News, YouTube, LinkedIn and went viral on X-Twitter with over 150k views. Additionally, he has expanded his influence through podcast appearances on Under the Cortex and journalism with articles published in the Observer (affiliated with the Association for Psychological Science) and Scientific American (affiliated with Nature).

He earned his PhD at the University of Queensland Business School (Australia) and won the Best PhD Thesis Pitch Award.