Awards and Accolades - December 2020

Celebrating the achievements of Business faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Faculty Excellence

fellowship recipients

The Annual Faculty Fellowship results were recently announced. The Research Awards Committee evaluated all applications on the quality of the research proposal and recent academic research record in the context of the applicant’s career. Congratulations to the deserving researchers!

Recipient: Vern Glaser (SEM) 
Fellowship Title: Eric Geddes Professor of Business (3 year term)
Project: The Biography of an Algorithm: Performing Algorithmic Technologies in Organizations 

Recipient: Karen Hughes (SEM) 
Fellowship Title: Alex Hamilton Professor of Business (3 year term) 
Project: Gender, Innovation, and Inclusive Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Western Canada

Recipient: Ilbin Lee (ABA) 
Fellowship Title: CN Western Economic Research Fellowship (3 year term) 
Project: Data Analytics for Decision-making: Wildfire Suppression in Alberta

Recipient: Mohamad Soltani (ABA) 
Fellowship: Canadian Utilities Faculty Fellowship (1 year term) 
Project: Does What Happens in the ED Stay in the ED? The Effects of Emergency Department Physician Workload on Post-ED Care Use

Recipient: Sanjay Banerjee (ABA)
Fellowship: G.R.A Rice Faculty Fellowship (1 year term)
Project: Physical Climate Risk, Investor Demand and Climate Disclosure: Evidence from Establishment-level Data

Recipient: Runjing Lu (FIN) 
Fellowship: Hugh E. Pearson Fellowship (1 year term) 
Project: Real Effects of Violent Protests on Firms

Recipient: Bora Kolfal (ABA) 
Fellowship: NOVA Management of Technology Endowment (1 year term) 
Project: Virtual vs. Human Social Media Influencers

Recipient: Sheng-Jun Xu (FIN)
Fellowship: The Edmonton Journal Fellowship (1 year term)
Project: Access to Finance in the Criminal Justice System: Evidence from the Maryland Court System

Recipient: Paul Messinger (MBEL) 
Fellowship: Xerox Canada Faculty Fellowship (1 year) 
Project: Managing the Contract Pipeline for B2B Service Projects

woman smiling with grey background

Congratulations to School of Business professor Jennifer Jennings as she was named one of 16 Canada Research Chairs (CRC) at the U of A. The CRC Award is an award reserved for outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. In addition to being named CRC, Jennifer is also one of five tier 1 CRCs.


The Alberta School of Business Chair Allocation Committee is pleased to announce the appointment of Associate Professor Sarah Moore for the Thornton A. Graham Chair and Assistant Professor Madeline Toubiana for the A.F (Chip) Collins Chair. Both roles are set to begin July 1, 2021 and are both for five-year terms. 

The Chair Allocation Committee reviewed applications and made recommendations to Dean Doucet. The Committee included Kyle Murray who served as chair of the selection committee, Karim Jamal (ABA Department Chair), Trish Reay (Associate Dean, Research) and Michelle Inness (Assistant Dean, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion).


Student Success

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the external case competitions: DeGroote Innovative Solutions Competition and University of Boulder Net Impact Case Competition throughout the Fall 2020 semester!


Alumni Accomplishments

woman smiling outside

Puneeta McBryan, BCom ‘12, was named the new Executive Director of the Downtown Business Association“Ms. McBryan is an accomplished marketer and business strategist who has helped a diverse array of Edmonton businesses win new customers and markets,” said DBA Board Chair Robert Bothwell. “She shares our vision for a vibrant, inclusive and innovative downtown, and brings a track record of community building through partnerships.”


Sameer Dhar, BCom ‘14, was recognized as a Schwarzman Scholar, for his work around elder care and addressing social isolation and loneliness. Dhar is only the second UofA alumni to be awarded the prestigious scholarship.


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