Aaron is the Doerr Institute's Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation. His work brings together social and organizational psychology by examining cultural and ideological drivers of harmful leadership and how developing self-aware, system-focused leaders can counteract those effects.

Aaron’s current research program focuses on three key areas: cultural influences on leadership values and processes, the role of self-concept in developmental leadership, and how aspirational identity helps people grow through failure. He also investigates conspiracy theories within leader–follower dynamics, political polarization and violence, and gender bias in leadership.  His research has been published in journals including Current Psychology, Self and Identity, and Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, and he has presented his work at conferences including the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the International Leadership Association Global Conference, and the Academy of Management.
 
As part of Doerr's Research and Evaluation Team, Aaron works with Dr. Ryan Brown in leading the Institute’s impact assessment efforts, ensuring that every initiative is evidence-based, data-driven, and producing meaningful, measurable results. Aaron is also the instructor of record for Demystifying Measurement, the Doerr Institute’s flagship course on applying practical measurement principles to the assessment of leader development in higher education. 

Beyond his role at Doerr, Aaron consults with organizations and entrepreneurs across sectors, including healthcare, education, and coaching, to design and assess developmental programs that are evidence-based, measurable, and built to deliver real impact.
 
Aaron earned his Ph.D. in Social Psychology, with a minor in Quantitative Methods, from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 and served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of St. Thomas before joining the Doerr Institute in 2023.