Professor Ryan Lamare, named Soderstrom Professor last April, has been a part of the Labor and Employment Relations world from the beginning of his career. Having received a bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Lamare is undoubtedly an expert in his field. Because his dad was also in academia, becoming a professor was a relatively easy choice. He also stated that choosing Illinois was just as easy coming from Cornell.

While at Illinois, Professor Lamare has created a class, Game Theory and HR Strategy, where students play games and watch TV shows to gather important information on the world at work and outside. This class is one of the reasons why our program is so unique and applicable. It offers students the tools they will use in their lives and future careers. Lamare also considers this class one of his most outstanding achievements at LER because he can tell the students enjoy the course. He even mentioned that they email him when they see topics in the world they’ve learned in class.

When speaking with Professor Lamare, you could tell how excited he is about the work being done within the Industrial Relations program at LER. Much of his research focuses on the relationship between employer and employee. He has found that when strong HR practices and workers’ rights are implemented, they benefit the entire workplace. Employees are more apt to contribute and support their place of work.

Professor Lamare hugely supports his colleagues and hopes to grow the program alongside them in the coming years. You can check out his profile to learn more about Lamare’s research and studies. You can also take a look at him and his colleague, John Budd, break down the research projects they’re working on.