Dr. Michael J. A. Wohl is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
He is the Director of the Conflict Resolution Laboratory (CRL). Members of the CLR focus their research attention on the causes and consequences of harmdoing at both the interpersonal as well as the intergroup level, and routes to forgiveness and reconciliation. A current focus is on nostalgia (i.e., sentimental longing). His studies investigate why and when nostalgia can be beneficial or detrimental to one’s health. For instance, he is examining how and why collective nostalgia strengthens in-group bonds but can also lead to destructive outcomes like polarization and support for non-democratic leaders.
He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Society and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. He is also the receipt of various Research Achievement Awards, Teaching Excellence Awards and a Graduate Mentoring Award. To facilitate his research, Wohl has received over seven million dollars in funding from organization including, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Australian Research Council, Defense Research and Development Canada, and Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.