James Houran, Ph.D.

Managing Director

“Many people over the years have told me that I’m best described as an unconventional researcher and practitioner who’s clearly passionate about bringing real-world psychology to the everyday personal and professional lives of clients. This is possible because of my eclectic and generalist background in the social sciences, which gives me a comprehensive perspective about imagination, cognition, personality and behavior. For me, nothing compares to the satisfaction of working on projects in which the latest psychological theories help to produce unprecedented awareness and positive outcomes. The fluid and demanding industry of hospitality is ultimately built on people and relationships. Psychology has so much to say about the drivers of professional development, team dynamics, organizational performance and the guest experience. I’m in my element when consulting with leaders and their teams on these strategic issues. But psychology doesn’t define my entire identity; I stay personally grounded through my family and enjoying the natural sciences, history, anthropology and the arts. It’s fun and rewarding being unconventional!”

“Dr. Jim” Houran, Ph.D., Managing Director of AETHOS Consulting Group, is a 25-year veteran in applied psychological research and a published expert on peak performance, online testing and interpersonal and organizational compatibility. He has authored over 150 articles, and his award-winning work has been profiled by a myriad of media outlets and programs including the Discovery Channel, A&E, BBC, National Geographic, NBC’s Today Show, USA Today, New Scientist, Psychology Today and Forbes.com. He serves as adjunct faculty at the Laboratory for Statistics and Computation, ISLA – Instituto Politécnico de Gestão e Tecnologia (Lisbon, Portugal), an editorial board member for the APA peer-reviewed journal, Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research and Practice, and as an editorial board member for the peer-reviewed journal, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly.