Mahima Saxena

Education

• Ph.D., Psychological Sciences (Specialization: Industrial-Organizational Psychology), Purdue University, IN
• M.Sc., Occupational Psychology, University of London, United Kingdom

Teaching Interests

• Organizational Psychology
• Work Motivation
• Emotions at Work
• Humanitarian Work Psychology
• Health and Safety at Work / Occupational Health Psychology
• Cross-cultural Psychology

Research Expertise

• Organizational Psychology
• Work Motivation
• Emotions at Work
• Humanitarian Work Psychology
• Health and Safety at Work / Occupational Health Psychology
• Cross-cultural Psychology

Decent Work and Wellbeing Lab

Directed by Dr. Saxena, the UNO Decent Work & Well-being Lab focuses on answering basic questions pertaining to the sustainability of the modern world of work and organizations and their impacts on the wellbeing of environment, societies, and the planet from a multidisciplinary perspective using cutting-edge and ecologically valid research methods. Dr. Saxena also provides evidence-driven policy recommendations based on her research. Topics currently under investigation include Job-burnout, Sustainable Livelihoods & Decent Work, Occupational Health & Well-being, Work in Informal Economy, Workers in Poverty, the Technology Workforce & STEM Organizations. This research has been supported by external, foundation, and internal grants and has been acknowledged by international research awards.

Representative Publications

Saxena, M. (2026). Sustainable work—Concept, integration with sustainable development goals, and future directions. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 15(3), 172. https://doi.org/10.1027/2157-3891/a000154

Khazanchi, D., & Saxena, M. (2026). Navigating digital human rights in the age of AI: challenges, theoretical perspectives, and research implications. Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228053.2025.2452028

Shoss, M. K., & Saxena, M. (2026). Understanding job insecurity in formal and informal work. In M. Hudson & B. Piccoli (Eds.), Handbook on Precarious Work (pp. 248–263). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035308347

Saxena, M. & Meyer, I. (2025). SDG 6: Decent Work and Supporting Economic Growth. In J. C. Scott, J. Olson-Buchanan, & L. Foster (Eds.). Sustainable Development through the World of Work: Translating Insights from Organizational Psychology. New York: Routledge/SIOP New Translational Series.

Beier, M. E., Saxena, M., Kraiger, K., Costanza, D. P., Rudolph, C. W., et al., (2025). Workplace learning and the future of work. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1–26. doi:10.1017/iop.2024.57   

Rende Mendoza, K., Saxena, M., Refvem, E., Beatman, T. R., & Lichti, M. (2025). Understudied yet essential: Part-time, seasonal, and temporary educators in science-rich cultural institutions. Journal of Museum Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10598650.2025.2500159

Saxena, M. (2023). Workplace Incivility in STEM Organizations: A Typology of STEM Incivility and Affective Consequences for Women Employees. Journal of Business Ethics. Online First, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05459-

Saxena, M. & Tchagnéno, C. (2023). Informal work as sustainable work: Pathways to sustainable livelihoods. In S. C. Carr, V. Hopner, & D. Hodgetts, D. & M. Young (Eds.). SIOP Organizational Frontier Series Tackling Precarious Work Towards Sustainable Livelihoods. New York: Routledge/SIOP New Frontiers Series. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003440444

Saxena, M. (2023). Informal work. Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Psychology. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.882

Saxena, M. (2021). Cultural skills as drivers of decency in decent work: An investigation of skilled workers in the informal economy. European Journal of Work and Organisational Psychology, 30(6), 824-836. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0328-7305