Lawrence M. Hanser

Lawrence M. Hanser (he/him) is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. He previously served as associate director of the Manpower, Personnel, and Training Program within RAND Project AIR FORCE.

As an industrial/organizational psychologist, Hanser’s research has focused on people and organizations, and the interface between them—specifically on the design of organizations, and how people are selected and trained to be successful in them. He has led and participated in projects focused on understanding the skill requirements of senior leadership positions in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the impact of these requirements on development and succession planning. He has examined the career patterns of U.S. Army civilians, paths to increasing professionalism among U.S. Air Force personnel, and entrance testing of applicants to military service. Recent work includes considerations of different ways the new US Space Force could choose to develop and manage its personnel.

Hanser received his Ph.D. and M.S. in psychology from Iowa State University and his B.A. in psychology from Marquette University.