Sam Hunter
- Senior Scientist and Director of Academic Research
- NCITE
Bio
Sam Hunter is the Regents-Foundation Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Senior Scientist and Director of Academic Research at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE).
He is a fellow at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the National Strategic Research Institute, as well as a former fellow at the International Center for the Study of Terrorism at Penn State University. He spent 14 years at Penn State, achieving the rank of full professor.
Hunter's work focuses on leadership and innovation, considering the malign and benevolent application of each. He has published more than 125 peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and book chapters. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Naval Research, and the U.K. Home Office.
As a consultant, his partners and clients have included Oakley, United Airlines, Lockheed Martin, NATO, Johnson & Johnson, Epic Games, Google, and KPMG. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Fortune, Politico, NPR, Fast Company, MSN, Washington Post, CNN, Yahoo, Voice of America, VoxPol, and The Week.
Hunter regularly experiences significant heartbreak by being a longtime fan of the Detroit Tigers.
Research Interests
Organizational psychology; malevolent creativity; destructive and constructive leadership in organizations; creativity and innovation in organizations; organizational behavior
Education
Ph.D. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Measurement and Statistics (minor); University of Oklahoma
M.S. Industrial and Organizational Psychology; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
B.S. Psychology, Business (minor); Central Michigan University
Selected Publications
Hunter, S.T. Neely, B., Welch, C., & Moeller, A. (2025). Reconciling Jekyll & Hyde: The future of masculinity research within the domestic violent extremism context. American Psychologist
Hunter, S. T., Shortland, N., Crayne, M., & Ligon, G. S. (2018). Recruitment and selection in violent extremist organizations: Exploring what industrial and organizational psychology might contribute. American Psychologist, 72, 242.
Hunter, S. T., Walters, K., Nguyen, T., Manning, C., & Miller, S. (2022). Malevolent Creativity and Malevolent Innovation: A Critical but Tenuous Linkage. Creativity Research Journal, 34(2), 123–144.