Mahima Saxena, Ph.D. has been honored with the Humanitarian Award from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP).

The annual award is given in recognition of a SIOP member who has made sustained, significant, and outstanding humanitarian contributions related to I-O psychology. Contributions can take many different forms, including: supporting humanitarian initiatives; promoting prosocial I-O psychology through work with international non-governmental organizations and multilateral agencies; contributing to theory and/or practice in the area of humanitarian work psychology focusing on social responsibility and reduction of human suffering through organizational actions; and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through I-O psychology.

Dr. Mahima Saxena has an unwavering dedication to understanding the experiences of people living and working in poverty, and using I-O science to improve their lives, provide decent work, and enhance well-being. Using advanced I-O methods, her research focuses on those who work at the grassroots. She has a global focus and has used her research to impact the millions of workers who generally have minimal representation in traditional I-O psychology. Dr. Saxena has used her study of occupational hazards for poor agricultural workers to influence public health policies, and her research on highly skilled informal workers to present policy recommendations on decent work to the International Labor Organization. Her work has directly contributed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. Through research publications and presentations, Dr. Saxena has raised the profile of humanitarian work psychology and enhanced the visibility of SIOP among international humanitarian organizations. She is a founding member and executive board member of the Global Organization for Humanitarian Work Psychology (GOHWP).