Charleen R. CASE

Using theory and methods from organizational behavior, social psychology, and evolutionary science, Dr. Case investigates how people navigate cross-hierarchy relationships at work. Taking an interdisciplinary approach and leveraging person × situation experimental methods, she examines how fundamental human motives—such as status, affiliation, and kin care—shape social decision-making and interpersonal behavior in mentoring relationships, hierarchy-bridging coalitions, and leader-follower interactions. Her research aims to uncover when, why, and how these motivations drive behaviors that either enhance or hinder group functioning and individual well-being.

Dr. Case's work has been published in top academic journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Evolution and Human Behavior, and the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Her research has also been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Harvard Business Review, Glamour, and Psychology Today.

She earned her BA in Psychology and Anthropology from Miami University. As an undergraduate, she was a Junior Visiting Research Fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for Evolutionary Studies in the Biological Anthropology Department at the University of Cambridge and conducted primatology research, including fieldwork in Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park. She went on to earn her MS and PhD in Social Psychology from Florida State University. During her doctoral studies, she spent three years as a Visiting Research Fellow in the Management and Organizations Department at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Before joining HEC Paris, Dr. Case was an Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, where she taught and conducted research on leadership, social hierarchy, and workplace relationships.