ITHACA, N.Y. -- Lee Dyer, professor in Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and chair of its Department of Human Resource Studies, received a key award in his field -- the 2004 Michael R. Losey Human Resource Research Award from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

The annual award, which includes a $50,000 prize to be used for human resource (HR) research, was presented June 29 in New Orleans during SHRM's annual meeting. In presenting the award, David Hutchins, SHRM board chair, called Dyer "an academic and HR superstar."

Dyer, who was a founder of Cornell's Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS) and directed it from 1988 to 1995, is considered by colleagues to be among the first academics to write about the need to tie a company's human resource management activities to its business strategy. His most recent research involves the relationship between HR, organizational agility and competitiveness.

Dyer joined the ILR School faculty in 1971 after earning his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He teaches courses on HR and organizational agility to undergraduate and graduate students and executives. He is co-author (with Patrick Wright) of People in E-Business: New Challenges, News Solutions (2000) and a co-editor of the key HR text Strategic Human Resource Management in the 21st Century (with Patrick Wright, John Boudreau and George Milkovich). He has contributed to more than a dozen books and monographs and published nearly 100 articles and book chapters. He serves on the editorial boards of key HR journals. In addition Dyer has consulted on strategic HR for companies.