Change Is In The Air – Spring 2026 Research Newsletter
With spring in the air and good weather (finally!) upon us, May conclusively signals the end of winter and the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
For many faculty, the end of the semester means the start of travel and conference season, the start of fieldwork season, and, for some, the start of vacation season.
It’s also a good time for us to reflect on Schulich’s research-related achievements over the past five months. Some things to highlight: our faculty published 29 papers between January 1 and April 30, made several media appearances and, the Research @ Schulich podcast began its second season!
Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention one of the most important Schulich research events of the year: Research and PhD Day 2026. With well over 100 registered attendees, this year’s Research and PhD Day was our largest – and most successful – Research and PhD Day to date.
You can read more about Research and PhD Day 2026 here – and feel free to check out the newly released highlight video and photo galleries.
Changes at the Research Office
Just as the seasons are changing, changes are ahead for Schulich’s Research Office: Eileen Fischer’s term as Associate Dean, Research will be coming to an end on June 30, 2026.
Eileen will be leaving the office in good hands: Moren Lévesque will be assuming the role of Associate Dean, Research on July 1, 2026. Moren will be sharing her plans for the Research Office over the coming months.
Eileen reflected briefly on her time as Associate Dean, Research and offered some words of encouragement to Moren:
“I took on the role of Associate Dean, Research (ADR) in 2022, and it’s been an honour and a pleasure to do this job. When I started, many great initiatives were already in place, including the Schulich Research Excellence Fellowships, our annual report (Spotlight on Research), and our biennial Schulich Research and PhD Day. These initiatives were in addition to the ongoing work done by the ADR’s office in support of grant and funding applications, postdoc and researcher appointments, and helping with key administrative tasks, like updating faculty CVs, tracking publications and assisting in providing data for rankings and accreditations.”
“Since I became ADR, we’ve been able to place an even greater emphasis on gaining visibility for our research and our researchers, in part because we were able to add a specialist in knowledge mobilization to our team. We now routinely promote research achievements through social media posts, through the research newsletter that’s produced each semester, and through the podcast series done in collaboration with Professor Cameron Graham.”
“If there’s one thing I want to highlight about being Associate Dean, Research, it’s that nothing is possible without the amazing quality and quantity of research being done by Schulich faculty.”
“Beyond this, the real work of the ADR’s office relies on the dedicated team who make everything happen. My boundless thanks go to our Research Officer, Farhana Islam, our Knowledge Mobilization Specialist, Andrew Micak, and the newest member of our team, Research Office Administrator, Leila Daddoust, who provides support of various kinds to Research Office activities.”
“If I have one word of wisdom to Moren, it’s to treasure these folks who work so hard on our behalf.”
Moren also shared some thoughts about her upcoming appointment:
“I have big shoes to wear from taking over after my dear colleague and friend Eileen Fischer. Even more research-related activities have been added under her leadership to share our research. I look forward to continuing these initiatives to celebrate our noteworthy accomplishments and disseminate new practical knowledge to our stakeholders. I am particularly excited to take on this role to learn more about the outstanding research done by my Schulich colleagues and their mentees. As ADR, I will have much broader exposure to that research than I currently have.”
“I also look forward to working toward discovering as well as supporting more AI-related research at Schulich. To achieve this will likely involve going beyond business disciplines and pushing even more so for multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transdisciplinary research, where Schulich faculties already excel. Since we cannot walk away from using AI in research, and given all its potential, we ought to intelligently embrace it! I am joining the “AI in Research and Innovation Working Group” co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation (VPRI) and the Senate Academic Policy Planning and Research Committee (APPRC), which will enable me to articulate the particular needs of Schulich researchers who are, or would like to be, involved in AI-related research.”
“As I move into this new role, I know that I can count on Eileen to help me navigate all that the ADR Office does.”
My deepest thanks go to her for all that she accomplished during her tenure and for holding my hand during the beginning of my tenure. I am also so fortunate to be working with an awesome team, Farhana, Andrew, and Leila. I am thrilled to be joining this team of colleagues who have always been so helpful and kind when I needed help. I will continue to treasure the three of them.”
Over the coming months, you may hear about new initiatives, policies and processes taking place at the Research Office. In spite of these changes, the core mission of the Research Office will remain the same, namely:
Schulich’s scholars have transformed the way management educators understand the core intersect between business and society. As a knowledge enterprise, Schulich boasts a vibrant and eclectic research community that is renowned for its excellence and achievements.
Our mission is to mobilize knowledge and distill it for practice.
Yours,
Eileen Fischer, Professor of Marketing; Associate Dean, Research; Anne & Max Tanenbaum Chair in Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise
Moren Lévesque, Professor of Operations Management and Information Systems; CPA Ontario Chair in International Entrepreneurship. Incoming Associate Dean, Research (July 1, 2026)
Eileen spoke with us at length about her time as ADR and her time at Schulich. You can read her interview here.
Moren previously spoke with us about her experiences as a faculty member and as a researcher in the Winter 2025 edition of the newsletter. You can read her interview here.
