Gabriel Nnamdi Ezema, PhD

I am Gabriel Nnamdi Ezema, an Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Memphis and director of Work, Dignity and Health Lab. My research examines how work and institutional conditions shape health, belonging, and access to opportunity across diverse communities. Drawing on training in philosophy, theology, and psychology, as well as more than two decades of service as a Catholic priest, I bring an interdisciplinary perspective to scholarship, teaching, and mentorship.

RESEARCH FOCUS

Work, Health, and Opportunity

I examine how work shapes health, daily life, and access to opportunity. My research treats work not simply as employment, but as a social and institutional force that can either support or constrain human flourishing.

Vocational Development and Decent Work

My scholarship explores how economic constraints, labor systems, and social identity shape work volition, future work perceptions, and access to meaningful and socially valued work.

Dignity, Belonging, and Institutional Life

I study how institutions communicate worth through policies, expectations, and everyday practices, and how those experiences shape dignity, belonging, and psychological wellbeing.

LAB

Work, Dignity, and Health Lab

The Work, Dignity, and Health Lab studies how work systems shape dignity, opportunity, and health across the lifespan. The lab examines how structural inequality, labor market barriers, and institutional environments influence vocational development and wellbeing across diverse communities.

KEY PUBLICATIONS

Ezema, G. N., & Autin, K. L. (2024). Examining predictors and outcomes of future decent work perception among Nigerian emerging adults. Journal of Career Assessment, 32(3), 445–461.

Fouad, N. A., Burrows, S. G., Avery, C., & Ezema, G. (2024). Changes in US Workers’ Values and Satisfaction After COVID-19. Journal of Career Assessment, 32(2), 321–342.

Blustein, D. L., Erby, W., Meerkins, T., Soldz, I., & Ezema, G. N. (2022). A critical exploration of assumptions underlying STEM career development. Journal of Career Development, 49(2), 471–487.