UBC Sauder Dean Darren Dahl awarded top honour by Society of Consumer Psychology for his renowned research in creativity and social influence
Dean Darren Dahl of the UBC Sauder School of Business has been named a 2023 Fellow by the Society of Consumer Psychology (SCP).
SCP’s Fellow Award is the highest honour granted to seasoned scholars who have made outstanding contributions to consumer psychology through research and service. Evaluation criteria includes not only research impact but also institutional and field leadership.
Dahl was selected for his influential body of work across two main areas of study: creativity in marketing and consumption, and social influence. He is also widely regarded for his committed mentorship to the next generation of scholars and for his record of participation and engagement in academic circles.
“To be recognized as someone who has made a difference in knowledge creation, in opening up new areas of research, and as someone who has been supportive to this specific community is an incredible honour,” says Dahl.
Dean Dahl with SCP President Gita Johar
When it comes to productivity, Dean Dahl is the pacesetter
Dahl is well-known for his near-unparalleled productivity, with 95 refereed journal publications to his name and roughly 16,000 citations of his extensive research.
Gita Johar, President of SCP, says Dahl is not only productive in his own sheer output, but also in how he has uncovered new areas of study and spurred future research.
“He introduced this notion that it's not just about how other people behave, but also how the mere presence of other people can influence your consumer behavior,” Johar says of Dahl’s work in the social influence space.
“The second area he opened up is an exploration of how consumers perform creatively and what circumstances enable that greater creativity,” says Johar.
Dean Dahl with Coquí, official mascot of the SCP 2023 conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Coquís are tiny tree frogs that sing at night in the wild, and are a much loved symbol of Puerto Rico. Coqui represents the conference theme of “Celebrating People, Places, and Planet."
A prolific researcher, a passionate teacher, and a leading administrator
Dahl has earned himself a reputation for being particularly well-rounded and varied in his professional pursuits.
From 2012 to 2014, Dahl was Senior Associate Dean, Faculty and Research at UBC Sauder. He then became the Senior Associate Dean, Faculty and Director, at the Robert H. Lee Graduate School in 2015. In 2020, he helped the school steer through the early days of the pandemic as Senior Associate Dean – Special Projects (COVID Response). In summer 2022, two decades after first joining the school as an Associate Professor, he was announced as the new Dean – all while continuing to mentor students and conduct ground-breaking research.
“I've always been a a person with broad interests across the whole scope of academia. I love the research, I love the teaching, and I love the administration,” says Dahl. “It’s challenge that really motivates me and I’ve been able to find challenges in each of these three verticals.”
This triple-focus of his career makes Dahl unique. “It’s remarkable that he was still producing at a very high level and doing really high-quality research, even as he was taking on these very busy roles,” says Johar.
A celebrated career accomplishment
UBC Sauder’s Senior Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability, Kate White, is proud to one of Dahl’s ardent supporters and was one of his nominators for the fellowship.
“This award is a big deal in our field and it is a real honour,” says White. “It goes to a person who has had incredibly notable and distinct achievements. This means they have a rockstar record of research, but they’ve also gone over-and-above in giving back in other ways like mentorship, leadership, and service. Dean Dahl hits it out of the park on all of these metrics.”
Though Dahl’s career has been defined by thought-provoking research and heavy portfolios of responsibility, he offers a simple explanation for how he has arrived at where he is today.
“I'm an individual who loves soaking up all potential aspects of being a professor,” says Dahl.
Congratulations to Dean Dahl from the entire UBC Sauder community.