Celebrating Research Excellence and Future Impact: Schulich Research & PhD Day 2026
On Wednesday, March 25th, more than 100, PhD students, staff and industry members gathered at the Schulich School of Business to celebrate Research & PhD Day 2026, a biennial celebration of the research achievements of Schulich’s faculty- and one of the rare occasions where almost all of Schulich’s faculty members could be found under the same roof!
With Schulich’s 60th Anniversary celebrations ongoing, there may have been a temptation to look back on the history of academic research at Schulich over the years. And while our faculty is known historically for their diverse research interests, there was one thing they all agree on – the need for Schulich to continue to develop impactful and meaningful research in the future.
A Day of Posters and Panels
The day began with a networking reception in the Mamdouh Shoukri Atrium and a research poster showcase, featuring a record 52 research posters prepared by Schulich faculty members and PhD students.
The poster “Meaningful Inclusion: Market Driving Through Concurrent Evolution in Toys & Games Market” by Raisa Tasneem Zaman and Associate Professor of Marketing Ela Veresiu was voted “best poster” by Research & PhD Day participants. Raisa Zaman and Ela Veresiu were the back-to-back winners of the “Best Poster” award, previously winning in 2024 for their poster “Neurodiversity, Family Consumption, and Canada’s Marketplace”(co-authored with Schulich Professor of Marketing, Russell W. Belk).
Event emcee Eileen Fischer (Professor of Marketing; Associate Dean, Research; Anne & Max Tanenbaum Chair in Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise) and Schulich School of Business Dean Detlev Zwick (Professor of Marketing & Tanna H. Schulich Chair in Digital Marketing Strategy) opened the day by remarking on the School’s research achievements and how Schulich has always “looked forward” when supporting faculty research. Even the day’s new name – “Research & PhD Day” – captures the value that Schulich places on the research being carried out by current faculty members and the next generation of academic researchers.
Professor Eileen Fischer remarked: “The posters and panels featured at Research & and PhD Day clearly demonstrate, Schulich is a hive of high calibre work on a diverse array of timely topics. Our track record of producing inspiring, well-cited research that has real-world relevance is the result of highly motivated, hard-working scholars pursuing their work with passion and perseverance.”
The Future Is Insightful
The celebration of Schulich’s research achievements- past, present and in the future – was best illustrated by the plenary session, which posed the question “How Can We Do Impactful Business Research In The Future?” Professor Dirk Matten (Professor of Sustainability; Hewlett-Packard Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility) moderated a spirited panel discussion featuring Adam Diamant (Associate Professor of Operations Management and Information Systems & York Research Chair in Managing AI-Driven Technologies in Health Care), Moshe “Mo” Milevsky (Professor of Finance, CIT Chair in Financial Services), Lyndsey Rolheiser(Assistant Professor of Real Estate), Winny Shen (Associate Professor of Organization Studies) and Olaf Weber (Professor; CIBC Chair in Sustainable Finance; Director, Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business). Professor Matten stated: “Schulich is a hot spot in academic research. The research day featured the best of our academics. It also opened the space for our PhD students to be part of the conversation. Schulich features some of the leading intellectuals in the world. And is also embedded in a rich world of emerging intellectual contributions.”
The idea of “looking ahead” was also captured by the newly introduced PhD Students’ Panel Discussion entitled “How is AI Going to Shape Your Life, Research and Career?”
The panel, moderated by PhD Candidate Janice Lam (Organization Studies) and featuring PhD Candidates Pierre Gautreau (Operations Management and Information Systems), Mohammad Maruf Hasan (Accounting), Jueun Kim (Policy and Strategic Management) and Yi Xuan Jeremy Lee (Marketing), saw these young researchers discussing the possibilities and pitfalls associated with the adoption (and acceptance) of AI in the academic field. Panel moderator Lam commented: “This year, a common topic at Schulich Research & PhD Day was AI and how it disrupts previous thoughts on how we conduct research – specifically, how it is a tool of opportunity, mitigating certain challenges while posing others. PhD students shared how they are learning, exploring, and experimenting with involving AI in the research process, highlighting the importance of users’ critical thinking and base knowledge for success.”
The Plenary Panel and PhD Students Panel Discussion was followed by two expert conversations, featuring Schulich faculty members carrying out in-depth discussions about emerging issues in their specific research areas. These included:
- Amin Mawani (Professor of Taxation) and Linda Thorne (Professor of Accounting) discussing the topic “Workplace Productivity Benefits of Investments in Healthcare”
- Grant Packard (Associate Professor of Marketing) and Ela Veresiu (Associate Professor of Marketing) on “The Opportunities and Risks of Bringing Diverse Voices into the Organization Through AI”
Awards And Honours
The event culminated with the presentation of the prestigious Dean’s Research Impact awards. Professor Justin Tan (Professor of Strategic Management; Newmont Endowed Chair in Business Strategy) was awarded the Dean’s Research Impact Award – Lifetime Achievement for his work in multiple fields, spanning strategic management and organization theory to innovation and international business. While Professor Tan was unable to attend the event, his prepared remarks expressed his deep gratitude for the award. In a statement read by Dean Zwick, Professor Tan remarked: “When I received the notification about the Schulich award, I genuinely felt joy as this award comes from Schulich and its many internationally renowned colleagues who understand what constitutes good research and good scholarship.”
Associate Professor Winny Shen (Associate Professor of Organization Studies) received the Dean’s Research Impact Award – Emerging Leader, with Dean Zwick citing Professor Shen’s work on gender dynamics in the workplace, family balance and the consequences of workplace understaffing as generating “important insights that are both academically rigorous and highly relevant to practice”. When asked how she felt about being honoured for her research at Schulich, Associate Professor Shen expressed her appreciation for the robust and eclectic research community at Schulich and remarked: “I appreciate being at a business school that values and supports doing good – and good research – not just for organizations, but for people too.”
When asked to comment on the day, Dean Detlev Zwick remarked “Research & PhD Day is an opportunity to showcase the breadth and quality of research taking place across the School, to highlight the important contributions of both our faculty and our PhD students, and to engage in meaningful discussions about how we continue to generate new insights across both emerging and established areas of business.”
We couldn’t agree more! See you at Research & PhD Day 2028!
