I go by “Ivy” but my full name is pronounced “EE-vwah-mah OH-NYAH-doh.” Ivuoma means “good luck” or “bright future” in Igbo, a language spoken in southeastern Nigeria.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Management and Organizations Department at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. I have a courtesy appointment in the Psychology Department and am a Faculty Associate of the Institute for Policy Research.
I earned my B.S. in Psychology, with distinction, from Yale University, my Ph.D. in Social Psychology at UCLA, and completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Psychology at Yale University.
My research is motivated by a contradiction: while equality is ostensibly a core American value, the United States is marked by a profusion of inequalities. Further, when confronted with evidence of inequality, many Americans’ first impulse is to deny, dismiss or justify inequality. In rapidly diversifying contexts—organizations, neighborhoods, and other social networks—these impulses can spark conflict and undermine cohesion. My research examines how dominant and subordinate group members reason about group-based discrimination and disparities. Through my research program, I aim to identify potential threats to cohesion and design interventions to increase people’s understanding of and willingness to address inequality.
Beyond studying bias in society, I have consistently worked to address bias and increase inclusion in my affiliated institutions. In my free time I like to read, travel, exercise, and discuss current events on the internet. I’m @Ivuoma on Twitter.
Answers to FAQs on graduate admissions:
Management and Organizations at Kellogg will be accepting students to start their PhDs in Fall 2024. I encourage all interested applicants to apply.
I am open to taking on students as primary or secondary advisees.
Out of a concern for fairness, it is our department policy that we do not talk to or advise potential applicants prior to the admissions decision.
You can only apply to one PhD program at Northwestern.
I have a courtesy appointment in Psychology. If you apply there, I wouldn’t be your primary or secondary advisor, but we could potentially collaborate and/or I could serve on a committee.
Here are a couple of resources to help you think about applying to business school PhD programs, featuring some discussion about deciding between a business school PhD and a disciplinary PhD. Talk to your advisors! (h/t Samantha Smith)