2025 Future of Work Research Prize awarded to Anisha Singh from London School of Economics
Zurich (Switzerland) — 3 March 2026
Anisha Singh (London School of Economics) receives the fifth annual UZH CLFW Future of Work Research Prize; William Fleming (University of Oxford) and Steven Zhou (Claremont McKenna College) are honored as co-runner-ups.
The Center for Leadership in the Future of Work is delighted to announce the winner and co-runner-ups for the fifth annual Future of Work Research Prize.
Anisha Singh, a doctoral student in the field of Psychological and Behavioral Science at the London School of Economics, has been honored with the award for her project entitled “The Double Gaze: How Gender and Race Shape Delegation in the Workplace” with collaborators Prof. Dr. Laura Giurge (London School of Economics) and Prof. Dr. Cydney Dupree (University College London). Anisha’s research explores how gender and race shape everyday leadership behaviors in the evolving future of work, focusing on delegation. While delegation is often seen as a simple managerial tool for efficiency, Anisha Singh’s study shows how it can become a psychologically demanding act for women leaders. Her work introduces the concept of a “double gaze,” where women anticipate simultaneous evaluation from both supervisors and subordinates who hold competing expectations about warmth and assertiveness. These pressures are further intensified for women of color, who may face narrower behavioral boundaries and greater scrutiny. Using qualitative interviews, pilot studies, and a large-scale behavioral experiment with video-recorded delegation scenarios, the research reveals how routine managerial actions can carry hidden social and emotional costs, offering important insight into inclusive leadership and the future of work.
The jury members also selected as co-runners-up William Fleming, Research Fellow at the Wellbeing Research Center at the University of Oxford, for his project entitled “AI, Performance and Wellbeing: A Field Experiment” with collaborators Cherise Regier (University of Oxford) and Jan-Emmanuel De Neve (University of Oxford). His proposed research investigates whether a generative AI chatbot can enhance employee performance and wellbeing within a large, multi-national organization. Utilizing a randomized field experiment, this research contributes to ongoing debates in management science and labor economics on the role of AI in the future of work.
The jury members also selected Steven Zhou as co-runners-up, Assistant Professor of Psychological Science at Claremont McKenna College, for his project entitled “Exploring the Future of Work through AI-Integrated Escape Rooms”. His proposed research explores how humans and artificial intelligence collaborate in complex, high-pressure environments using AI-enabled escape rooms as a novel research method. By integrating natural language processing and computer-vision analysis, the project advances theory on human-AI teamwork and shared leadership while offering practical insights for organizations designing hybrid teams and training employees to collaborate effectively with emerging technologies.
The competition was very fierce this year and we would like to congratulate all finalists for their hard work. We look forward to celebrating the five finalists at AOM 2026 in Philadelphia.
The Center would also like to congratulate the two additional finalists for the submission of their exciting projects:
Jaylon Sherrell (Harvard Business School), “Managing the Digital Self: How Workers Navigate Digital Traces During the Job Search Process”
Daria Morozova (Universiteit Leiden), “The Art of Being Flawed: Signalling Humanness in the Age of Generative AI”
The team at the CLFW would like to thank all of the submitters for their excellent contributions and inspirational research questions, all of which spoke to important human challenges in the future of work. We wish you all the best of luck with the future of your research!