Profile
Biography
Dr Gary Pheiffer is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at Heriot‑Watt University. He teaches on both the MSc Business Psychology programme and undergraduate psychology courses. He is Course Director for the MSc Business Psychology programme, and Dr Pheiffer also manages the PhD programme for the School of Social Sciences (SoSS) at the Dubai campus. In addition to his academic roles, he delivers executive education courses and provides organisational consulting, specialising in work psychology, strategy, and human resource management (HRM). Dr Pheiffer’s expertise spans multiple facets of work psychology and business education, with a strong focus on applied practice.
Academic leadership and affiliations
- Internal Leadership Roles:
- Programme Director for MSc Business Psychology at Heriot‑Watt University
- PhD Programme Manager for the School of Social Sciences (SoSS), Dubai campus
- Founder and Board Member for the Society for Business Psychology, Middle East
- Lead for various UG and PG programme development and accreditation processes
- Organiser of the External Speaker Series for the MSc Business Psychology programme
- Coordinator of the "Science to Practice" series connecting industry professionals with academic staff
- External Affiliations:
- Chartered Occupational Psychologist (British Psychological Society – BPS)
- Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
- HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist
- BPS Stage 2 Qualification Supervisor
- External PhD Examiner
- Consultancy and External Work:
- Consultancy work with international organisations, including PwC (UAE), STC (Saudi Arabia), Dubai Government, and Viwell (Dubai)
- Regular speaker and contributor to industry‑focused conferences and executive education programmes
Qualifications
- PhD (Influence of Adult Attachment on Team Functioning), London Metropolitan University 2016
- Diploma in Psychology, Open University, 1996
- Master of Arts in Organisational Psychology, University of Cape Town, South Africa 1990
- Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
- Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Industrial Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
- IAN Post Graduate Certificate Course 2021 (Attachment Theory)
Publications
- Blignaut, S., Pheiffer, G., Visser, A., Le Grange, L., Maistry, S., Ramrathan, L., and Simmonds, S. (2022). Belonging, Wellbeing and Stress With Online Learning During COVID‑19. South African Journal of Higher Education, 36(6), 169‑91.
- Plakhotnik, M. S., Volkova, N. V., Jiang, C., Yahiaoui, D., Pheiffer, G., McKay, K., Newman, S., and Reißig‑Thust, S. (2021). The perceived impact of COVID‑19 on student well‑being and the mediating role of the university support. Frontiers in Psychology: Educational Psychology.
- Blignaut, S., Pheiffer, G., Le Grange, L., Maistry, S., Ramrathan, L., Simmonds, S., and Visser, A. (2021). Engendering a sense of belonging to support student well‑being during COVID‑19. Sustainability.
- Bezler, T., Moneta, G., and Pheiffer, G. (2019). Development and Validation of the Work Environment Complexity Scale for Leaders. Journal of Organisational Change Management.
- Pheiffer, G., and Marson, K. (2024). Effects of expectations on reactions to merger: An integrated identity perspective. UK Culture and Psychology Conference, University College London.
- Pheiffer, G. et al. (2023). Empowering female managers in the Digital Era: Overcoming barriers, harnessing opportunities. International Psychology Conference Dubai (IPCD).
- Pheiffer, G. (2023). The role of relationships in perceptions of workplace dehumanisation. International Conference on Psychology and Neuroscience, Dubai.