Dr. Michelle Ryan

Biography

Professor Michelle Ryan is a world-renowned gender equality expert and the inaugural Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership. Her work focuses on understanding the psychological processes that underlie workplace gender inequality, designing and implementing innovative evidence-based interventions to increase gender equality. She is known for uncovering the glass cliff phenomenon, whereby women and members of minority groups are more likely to be placed in leadership positions that are risky or precarious. This concept was named one of the New York Times top 100 ideas that shaped 2008, and the term 'the glass cliff' was shortlisted for the Word of the Year by the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016. Her extensive body of academic work covers a range of issues including the constraints on women's careers, the impact of COVID-19 on gender inequalities, perceptions of equality, leadership gender bias, the motherhood penalty, work-life compatibility, the impostor syndrome, and the role of men in supporting gender equality. Michelle collaborates closely with corporate, government, and professional organizations in a research consultancy capacity to identify gender equality issues and design tailored solutions. She actively supervises research students, mentoring them on various topics that contribute to her research interests.

Research Interests