2026 STR DISSERTATION AWARD FINALISTS
This year we received 24 dissertations for consideration for the 2026 STR Division Outstanding Dissertation Award. The overall quality of the dissertations was very high, making the selection of this year's finalists by the STR Research Committee highly competitive. Please join me in congratulating the five finalists for the 2026 STR Outstanding Dissertation Award:
Aparajita Agarwal (PhD from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania), Assistant Professor at INSEAD. Dissertation Title: "Digital Platforms as Institutional Intermediaries: Implications for Inclusion, Relational Dynamics, and Strategic Advantage", Dissertation Co-Supervisors: Exequiel Hernandez, Tyler Wry.
Farzam Boroomand (PhD from University of Minnesota), Assistant Professor at University of South Carolina. Dissertation Title: "Finding Inclusive (Private) Solutions To Grand Challenges: Evidence From U.S. Public Education", Dissertation Advisor: Aseem Kaul.
Sukti Ghosh (PhD from INSEAD), Assistant Professor at Singapore Management University. Dissertation Title "The Complexity of Doing Good: Essays on Firms, Nonmarket Strategies and the Multiple Dimensions of Sustainability", Dissertation Co-Chairs: Victoria Sevcenko, Jasjit Singh.
Tom (Hee Yeul) Kwon (PhD from University of Southern California), Assistant Professor at University College London. Dissertation Title: "Navigating Technological Uncertainty in Industry Emergence", Dissertation Co-Chairs: Violina Rindova, Kyle Mayer.
Matteo Tranchero (PhD from University of California, Berkeley), Assistant Professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Dissertation Title: "The Role of Data in the Search for Innovation: Essays on Big Data Genomics", Dissertation Co-Chairs: Abhishek Nagaraj, Lee Fleming.
Each finalist will present a summary of their dissertation at the August annual conference on Monday, August 3rd from 3:00-4:30pm ET (Pennsylvania Convention Center, 100 Level, 113C). The 2026 winner will be announced during the STR Business meeting, which follows this event.
Please join us for the event to help celebrate the 2026 dissertation award finalists!
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Isin Guler
Kenan-Flagler Business School
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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