Title: United We Stand, Divided We Fall: A Tale of Intergroup Leadership

Speaker: David E. Rast III, Ph.D.

Bio: Dr. Rast completed his Ph.D. in Social Psychology at Claremont Graduate University working under Dr. Michael Hogg who is one of the top social psychologists in the field. While working toward his Ph.D. he was also a Predoctoral Research Fellow for the U.S. Army Research Institute’s Leader Development Research Unit. He is now an assistant professor of social psychology and leadership at the University of Alberta. He’s published this work in some the top journals in his field including: Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. He also serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Consulting Editor for Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, and an Editorial Board member of Self and Identity.

Research: Dr. Rast’s research is centered on social identity theory and self-categorization theory. Specifically, he is interested how leaders can incite social and organizational change by going against group norms. He is also interested in how leaders can bridge intergroup divides to build a unified identity and achieve joint goals. He also conducts research in other areas including exploring processes and implications of political ideology, minority influence, deviance, intergroup cooperation, leader rhetoric, and organizational behavior.