I study why and how interpersonal distance shapes relationships at work.
Department of Management & Organizations
Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Laurel Detert is a PhD candidate in Management & Organizations at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Her research investigates the relational foundations of organizational life by examining how the interpersonal distance embedded in workplace roles, relationships, and structures shapes employees, dyads, and teams.
Drawing on evolutionary psychology and organizational behavior, she empirically investigates (a) how workplace roles and relationships can activate evolved motivational and psychological systems that impact interpersonal attributions and distance decisions and (b) the consequences of interpersonal distance for individuals, dyads, and teams.
Her dissertation, The Space Between Us, received the University of Michigan's 2026–27 Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship. She was the only Ross PhD student to receive this award.Explore Laurel's research & publications, teaching, honors & awards, and full CV.