UB School of Management showcases PhD student research, accomplishments

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. — On March 8, the University at Buffalo School of Management community gathered to recognize the research, publications and success of the school’s doctoral students in the seventh annual PhD Showcase.

Kenneth Kendall, MBA ’70, PhD ’75 — the first-ever School of Management PhD graduate in management information systems — even came to serve as guest speaker, making the trip from New Jersey, where he is Distinguished Professor of Management in the Rutgers University School of Business – Camden.

“The PhD Showcase celebrates the hard work put forth not only by students from the six management subdisciplines, but also by the faculty who spend countless hours mentoring us to succeed,” says Katie Badura, a doctoral student from Amherst concentrating in organization and human resources (OHR). “Each year, I enjoy hearing career advice from prominent speakers and interacting with students from other disciplines.”

At the event, Ji Myoung (Danny) Kim was named Rising Star, an honor given to the doctoral student who has most exhibited exceptional early performance in the program through engagement with faculty on research, coursework and contributions to the intellectual atmosphere of the school. He received a $1,000 prize to support future conference attendance. Originally from Daejoen, South Korea, Kim is studying in the school’s Marketing Department and holds master’s degrees from Columbia University and Seoul National University.

Badura was honored with the Dean’s Award for Research Excellence and received a $2,500 prize to support her dissertation. The award goes to the senior doctoral student who has demonstrated exceptional research performance and the highest potential as a scholar, as measured by journal publications, presentations at top conferences and other factors.

Badura’s research focuses on how personality influences individual and team outcomes and leadership emergence in the workplace. She holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Iona College.

“At the School of Management, I have gained the knowledge, skills and resources required to be a successful researcher and lecturer,” Badura says. “Through close collaboration with my faculty advisor, Emily Grijalva, I’ve gained in-depth insight into the publication process and learned the value of faculty mentorship, both of which are necessary for future success as a professor. I truly feel fortunate to be a PhD student in the OHR Department.”

The Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence, recognizing exceptional promise and performance as a teacher in the program, went to Hamed Ghahremani of Tehran, Iran. Ghahremani, who was selected as a 2017 Greenleaf Scholar by the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, received a $500 prize to support future conference attendance. He has an MBA and bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Sharif University of Technology and is working toward his PhD in management with a concentration in organizational behavior.

Fourteen doctoral students from all six School of Management departments presented posters highlighting their research accomplishments at this year’s PhD Showcase.

“Our students have conducted remarkable research with the potential to make a positive impact on businesses and organizations,” says Paul Tesluk, PhD, professor and dean of the UB School of Management. “Through their great work and teaching, they are helping to advance the school’s mission to define the future of management.”

Two students were selected for the Poster Presentation Award based on their overall presentation and the clarity, strength of design and implications of their research. Snehal Hora of New Delhi, India, and Jinjing Zhu of Beijing, China, were named the poster competition winners and won $1,000 each to support future conference attendance.

A PhD student in the OHR Department, Hora presented her project, “Unlocking the Sex Differences in Creativity: A Multilevel Model of Individual Sex, Team Psychological Safety and Creative Self-Efficacy.” Zhu, from the Operations Management and Strategy Department, shared the findings of her project, “Dropout Entrepreneurs and Venture Performance.”

Judges for the poster competition were Yunju Nam, PhD, associate professor in the UB School of Social Work, and Andrew Olewnik, PhD, adjunct assistant professor and director of experiential learning programs in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.