Clarissa Zwarg is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Chair of Research and Science Management at TUM School of Management. She studied at LMU Munich (B.Sc. Psychology, M.Sc. Work, Organizational, and Social Psychology) before starting her doctoral studies at TUM in 2020. 

Clarissa’s research focuses on organizational ethics—in particular, ethical decision-making and behavior, personal development, responsible leadership, and ethical work climates. She uses diverse methods, both qualitative and quantitative, to better understand inter- and intra-individual dynamics and processes within organizational contexts. From 2023–2026, Clarissa has been working with Prof. Dr. Mats Alvesson as part of the TUM-IAS Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship. 

Short Bio

since 07/2026	Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Chair of Research and Science Management, Technical University of Munich, Germany
June 2026	PhD (Dr. phil.), TUM School of Management
07/2020 – 06/2026	Research Associate at the Chair of Research and Science Management, Technical University of Munich, Germany
03/2019 – 08/2019	Research Internship at the Chair of Prof. Kipling Williams on the topic of ostracism and radicalization, Purdue University, Indiana, USA
2017 – 2019	M.Sc. in Work, Organizational, and Social Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
10/2016 – 09/2020	Research Assistant at the Chair of Social Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
2015	Research Assistant at the Chair of Developmental Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
2013 – 2016	B.Sc. in Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany

 

Publications

Peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings

Zwarg, C., Fladerer, M. P., Pircher Verdorfer, A., & Peus, C. (2025). Morality in careers: A systematic review, integration, and ways forward. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 160, Article 104127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2025.104127

Gollwitzer, M., Platzer, C., Göritz, A. S., Zwarg, C., & Twardawski, M. (2022). Does Lockdown Compliance Reflect a Latent Trait? Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13(4), 884–891. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506211043989

Gollwitzer, M., Platzer, C., Zwarg, C. and Göritz, A.S. (2021). Public acceptance of Covid‐19 lockdown scenarios. International Journal of Psychology, 56, 551-565. doi: 10.1002/ijop.12721

Pfundmair, M., Rimpel, A., Duffy, K., & Zwarg, C. (2018). Oxytocin blurs the self-other distinction implicitly but not explicitly. Hormones and Behavior, 98, 115-120. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.12.016

Pfundmair, M., Zwarg, C., Paulus, M., & Rimpel, A. (2017). Oxytocin promotes attention to social cues regardless of group membership. Hormones and Behavior, 90, 136-140. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.03.006

Practitioner oriented articles and book chapters

Fladerer, M. P., Zwarg, C., & Pircher Verdorfer, A. (2024). Arbeitgeberwechsel: Karriereentscheidung mit Folgen. OrganisationsEntwicklung, 4, 116-118.

Pircher Verdorfer, A., Fladerer, M. P., & Zwarg, C. (2021). Moral emotion and intuition in organization. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Article e327, Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190224851.013.327

Frey, D., Mehner, C., Gertz, M., & Zwarg, C. (2019). Nachwort: Die Zukunft des Guten und Bösen. In Psychologie des Guten und Bösen (pp. 457-460). Berlin: Springer.

Frey, D., Zwarg, C., Gertz, M., & Mehner, C. (2019). Der Beitrag der wissenschaftlichen Psychologie zur Analyse des Guten und Bösen. In Psychologie des Guten und Bösen (pp. 5-21). Berlin: Springer.

Gertz, M., Zwarg, C., & Frey, D. (2019). Zur Entstehung des Guten und des Bösen: ein psychologisches Entwicklungsmodell. In Psychologie des Guten und Bösen (pp. 23-25). Berlin: Springer.

Zwarg, C. (2019). Nelson Mandela. In Psychologie des Guten und Bösen (pp. 67-79). Berlin: Springer.

Zwarg, C., & Frey, D. (2019). Einführung zur Psychologie des Guten. In Psychologie des Guten und Bösen (pp. 29-39). Berlin: Springer.

Conference presentations

Zwarg, C., Pircher Verdorfer, A., Fladerer, M. P., & Peus, C. (2026, May). Moral identity trajectories in the workplace: The role of leadership, work climates, and employee well-being. Paper presented at the 9th Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Leadership Symposium (IPLS) in Chania, Greece.

Pircher Verdorfer, A., Fladerer, M. P., & Zwarg, C. (2025, July). Ethical Dimensions in Career Development. Panel Symposium presented at the 85^th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM) in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Zwarg, C., Fladerer, M. P., Pircher Verdorfer, A., & Peus, C. (2025, July). Do Organizations Plant Seeds of Moral Development? A Sensemaking Approach in Early Career Stages. Paper presented at the 85^th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM) in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Fladerer, M. P., Pircher Verdorfer, A., Zwarg, C., & Peus, C. (2024, September). Zwischen persönlicher Entwicklung und beruflichem Umfeld: Trends und Erkenntnisse in der Karrieregestaltung; Moral und Karriere. Symposium presented at the 53rd Congress of the German Society for Psychology (DGPs) in Vienna, Austria.

Zwarg, C., Fladerer, M. P., Pircher Verdorfer, A., & Peus, C. (2024, September). Der moralische Kompass am Arbeitsplatz: Ein Blick auf Entwicklungen in frühen Karrierephasen. Paper presented at the 53rd Congress of the German Society for Psychology (DGPs) in Vienna, Austria.

Pircher Verdorfer, A., Zwarg, C. M., Fladerer, M. P., Peus, C. (2024, August). Ethical Dimensions of Career Growth: Bridging Ethics and Career Development. Symposium presented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM) in Chicago, USA.

Zwarg, C. M., Fladerer, M. P., & Pircher Verdorfer, A. (2024, August). Navigating Ethics: A Sensemaking Approach to Moral Development in Early Career Stages. Paper presented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM) in Chicago, USA.

Zwarg, C., Alvesson, M., Fladerer, M. P., Fischer, T., Georganta, E., & Peus, C. (2024, May). Making sense of reactions toward standardized diversity courses in organizations. Paper presented at the 7th Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Leadership Symposium (IPLS) in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Zwarg, C., Fladerer M. P., Pircher Verdorfer, A., & Peus, C. (2023, September). Wie wird Moral zum Führungsanspruch? Ein Blick auf Einflüsse in frühen Karrierephasen. Paper presented at the 13^th Fachgruppentagung der Fachgruppe Arbeits-, Organisations- und Wirtschaftspsychologie (AOWI) in Kassel, Germany

Zwarg, C., Fladerer M. P., Pircher Verdorfer, A., & Peus, C. (2023, May). On Becoming an Ethical Leader: A Sensemaking Perspective of Young Professionals. Paper presented at the 6th Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Leadership Symposium (IPLS) in Rhodes, Greece.

Fladerer, M. P., Pircher Verdorfer, A., & Zwarg C. (2022, September). Ethically-oriented Leadership in Organizations: Current Research and Future Developments. Symposium presented at the 52nd Congress of the German Society for Psychology (DGPs) in Hildesheim, Germany.

Zwarg, C., Fladerer M. P., Pircher Verdorfer, A., & Peus, C. (2022, September). Newcomers’ moral awareness: Understanding the roots of moral and prosocial development in the occupational context. Paper presented at the 52nd Congress of the German Society for Psychology (DGPs) in Hildesheim, Germany.

Zwarg, C., Devekiran, E., Lehmann, H., Ritschel, K., Schmiedel, P., Schwabe, J., & Gollwitzer, M. (2019, September). Forgiveness and belief in a just world: How apologies and relationship closeness moderate the influence of BJW-self and BJW-other on forgiveness. Poster presented at the 17^th Conference of the Social Psychology Section (FGSP), Cologne, Germany.

Awards and Honors

2024: Best Reviewer Award in the Careers Division at the Academy of Management.

Professional Memberships

Academy of Management

German Psychological Society (DGPs)