Mendoza Welcomes First-Ever Doctoral Students

This fall, the Mendoza College of Business opened its doors to its first-ever doctoral students. These students, the next generation of

 business faculty and leaders, are encouraged to impact the world for the better. "The two first-ever doctoral programs at Mendoza not only fulfill a vision for the college that goes back at least 50 years, they also signal a new era," said Martijn Cremers, the Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business. "The Ph.D. Programs will allow our faculty to prepare the next generation of scholars and teachers and will further elevate our research culture and further advance our reputation as a top research institution."

 

The eight students matriculated into either a Ph. D. in analytics or a Ph. D. in management, both of which are full-time, five-year programs. The management program is further split into either organizational behavior or strategy and entrepreneurship. The management program, led by Jason Colquitt, the Franklin D. Schurz Professor of Management, is focused on helping students become professors at a top business school while pursuing meaningful research.

The analytics program is guided by Ahmed Abbasi, the Joe and Jane Giovanini Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, and is committed to developing leaders in the analytics space who will consider the ethical dimension of data while contributing to cutting-edge research in the field.

The students in these programs hail from Brazil, China, Kenya, South Africa, and four states in the U.S.

Marialena Bevilacqua, one of the inaugural analytics students from Connecticut, explains that Mendoza's commitment to "grow the good in business" influenced her decision to choose Notre Dame. She says, "Mendoza's mission of asking more 'of business and ourselves' through the Catholic tradition aligns closely with my own personal and professional goals."

She continues, "This Mendoza Ph.D. program will have an invaluable effect on my career. The goal of this program is to produce scholars that are well-versed in analytical methods and skilled at forming and solving research problems. With this knowledge and ability that I will acquire from Mendoza, I will truly understand the ethics and societal impact of my work and apply it for the greater good."