Allison Ellis

Associate Professor

Contact Information

Email: aellis09@calpoly.edu
Phone: 805-756-1774
Office Location: 003-412

Allison Ellis is an organizational psychologist and Associate Professor of Management and Human Resources at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. She is a recognized scholar focused on improving the lives of employees and organizations through expanding our understanding of employee well-being, engagement, and organizational success.

Dr. Ellis’ was recognized as an Ascendant Scholar by the Western Academy of Management in 2022 for her research, which focuses on the ways in which people and organizations build psychological and human capital resources that facilitate well-being and improve organizational functioning. She has conducted research on topics such as new employee onboarding and socialization, work stress, burnout, dual-career couples, leadership, and company wellness policies. Her research has been presented at professional conferences such as the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, the Academy of Management, and Work, Stress & Health conference, published in a variety of scholarly outlets including the Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, and Journal of Vocational Behavior, and featured in Harvard Business Review and Wall Street Journal.

As a professor, Dr. Ellis has been consistently recognized for her impact in the classroom, twice receiving the David Peach Excellence in Teaching Award at Cal Poly. She teaches courses across the human resources management curriculum, challenging students to think differently about the role of work in people’s lives, how it can be thoughtfully designed, and the impact that organizations can have on individuals and society.

Dr. Ellis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine, and earned her Master’s and PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with focus in Occupational Health Psychology from Portland State University.