April 2026: Dr. Richard Currie (CAS/Economics)
Richard Currie is an Assistant Professor of Leadership and Workplace Psychology in the School of Hospitality Administration. He received his B.A. in Education from University of Missouri – St. Louis, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from University of Central Florida. Dr. Currie’s research interests center around work-related social stressors and the implications that employees’ responses to these stressors have on critical organizational knowledge management outcomes such as knowledge sharing and counterproductive knowledge hiding behaviors. He instructs undergraduate and graduate courses on topics ranging from human resource management and organizational leadership to research methods in the social sciences. Dr. Currie has completed numerous applied projects in the areas of instructional design and delivery, performance management, and leadership development for clients in industries ranging from staffing, transportation, higher education, hospitality, healthcare, and bio-pharmaceutical research and development. In addition to publishing in leading academic journals, he regularly presents his research at prominent research conferences and conventions such as those for the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, as well as the Association for Psychological Science.
I have always found people and social interactions fascinating, particularly in the workplace, where relationships can be a powerful source of meaning, connection, and stress. Social science provides the tools to better understand how everyday interactions shape well-being and how organizations can create healthier, more supportive environments.
In 2025, I published a multi-study paper developing a measure of workplace nosiness, a common but understudied social behavior. Building on that work, I am currently examining how nosiness can trigger boundary shifts in workplace relationships and influence employee well-being.
“Work when you can, and rest when you can’t,” which has helped me stay productive while avoiding unnecessary guilt around rest and recovery.
HF733 Organizational Leadership is my favorite course to teach at BU and the first course I taught here. I especially enjoy helping students better understand their strengths, assumptions, and growth opportunities in the context of leadership in service and hospitality settings.
I am a roller coaster enthusiast and make a point to visit at least one new amusement park each year.