Elaf Basri

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT ELAF BASRI

Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying.” Studs TerkelI’m an Assistant Professor of Management and Organizational Behavior, passionate about helping individuals and organizations create more meaningful, emotionally rich, impactful, and flourishing experiences of work and life.My research explores how people find, create, and sustain meaning through their emotions, values, motivations, and relationships at work. I’m especially interested in how meaning and flourishing evolve dynamically over time, and how they’re shaped by individual differences, organizational conditions, and moral or technological change. Methodologically, I use experience sampling/daily diaries, longitudinal and experimental designs, and qualitative approaches.At the heart of my work is a belief that people are wired not just for meaning but for impact, dignity, and human flourishing. Whether through teaching, research, or consulting, my aim is to advance knowledge and tools that support this quest across careers, systems, and Areas of Focus:• Meaningful Work & Motivation• Emotions at Work • Human Flourishing & Positive Psychology• Moral Psychology & Values in Organizations• Future of Work and to academia, I worked across Saudi Arabia, the UK, South Korea, and the US working on transformative initiatives in organizational culture, careers, leadership, and change. I led the people and culture side of Saudi Aramco’s historic $69B acquisition of SABIC, launched a career development center for employees, and designed HR systems for complex entities.This pracademic journey continues to shape my research and teaching. I hold degrees in business, psychology, information systems, and the humanities, and I thrive on interdisciplinary collaboration. Beyond academia, I’m also a husband, father, and lifelong learner committed to building lives and institutions of deeper I welcome collaborations on research, teaching, consulting, and meaningful projects on topics of shared interest and impact