Fellows | Research ProjectsImpact Initiatives
Fellows
Micha Abbas
Micha Abbas is a B.Com student majoring in Finance with a concentration in Sustainability. Interested in combining these two fields in a way that positively influences the world, she wants to pursue a career in impact investing. Micha will work on Professor Don Melville’s project on Social Responsible Investing in Quebec.
Naureen Ahmed
Naureen Ahmed is pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Strategic Management. She is interested in the intersection of technology and business. Through her faculty project, she hopes to explore how technology and digitalisation can influence strategic competitiveness and organisational effectiveness of small businesses and start-ups. In her spare time, she enjoys photography and trying new foods.
Laura Baek
Laura Baek is a fourth-year Strategic Management major with a concentration in International Business and a minor in Korean Language. Throughout her studies, she has developed interests in operations and process improvement. Outside of school, she enjoys dance as a hobby and she participates in a few teams in the community.
Vincent Barsalou
Vincent Barsalou is a second-year student majoring in Finance with a concentration in Business Analytics. Outside of ۲ݮƵ, he enjoys volunteering as a French teacher for newcomers. Career wise, Vincent is interested in helping banks bring a sustainable lens to their clients’ capital markets’ needs. Alongside Professor Perez-Aleman, he will conduct research on the impact investing models and strategies used by plural sector organizations.
Emma Betty
Emma Betty is a fourth-year BCom student in Honours Economics. She is interested in using data to better understand our world and drive better decision-making. In her free time, she is also an avid long-distance runner. This year she will be working on data analysis of international entrepreneurship rankings for the Dobson Centre with Prof. Marie-Josée Lamothe.
Harry Brar
Harry Brar is a second-year BCom student currently pursuing an Honours Dual Degree in Economics and Finance. Perceiving himself as a global citizen, he recognizes the responsibilities granted to those fortunate enough to attend ۲ݮƵ University and hopes to leverage his privilege to enact positive change.
Antonio Brunetti
Antonio Brunetti is a second-year Honours Bachelor of Commerce student at ۲ݮƵ University, specializing in Finance and Economics. With aspirations to attend graduate school, Antonio is deeply interested in economics and contributes as an Op-Ed writer for the ۲ݮƵ Economics Journal. This year, Antonio is part of a Living Lab project that aims to use digital technologies for the betterment of Montreal's vulnerable populations under the supervision of Prof. Laurette Dubé, Dr. Catherine Paquet, and Dr. Raja Sengupta.
Catherine Chen
Catherine Chen is a U3 Managing for Sustainability student with a minor in Urban Studies. She has been working for the past two summers with various food security nonprofit organizations in Montreal, developing a deeper understanding of its prevalence in various areas of the city and the organizations present to combat it. She is passionate about corporate sustainability and urban planning, hoping to pursue a master’s degree in urban studies. Catherine wishes to work in developing more sustainable and just urban food systems in the future. At ۲ݮƵ, she is on the executive teams of the ۲ݮƵ Energy Journal, Players' Theatre, and the Peer Support Centre.
Wilson Chen
Wilson Chen is a third-year student at Desautels pursuing a Major in Finance with a concentration in Business Analytics. He is passionate about stock trading and business negotiation. This year, he will be working with Prof. Jean-Nicolas Reyt to better study the beauty of the negotiation of Gen Z.
Justina Cheng
Justina Cheng is a second-year student in Joint Honours Economics and Finance. Through the IMSF, she is eager to contribute to the research on how corporate executives and the board of directors prepare for unfavourable incidents.
Esmeralda Chibane
Esmeralda Chibane is a second-year Finance student at Desautels. She deeply cares about human rights, so she is involved with ۲ݮƵ Students for Amnesty International, where she and her team raises awareness about human rights injustices. She is looking forward to joining the IMSF and having a positive impact on society.
Emma Clapp
Emma Clapp is a second-year student from London UK, pursuing a BCom in Finance, with a concentration in Managing for Sustainability. She is passionate about discovering sustainable and effective solutions to the growing environmental and social dilemmas our system is facing. Upon graduation, Emma plans to work in Impact Investing.
Zexuan Deng
Zexuan Deng aspires to become an economist. His goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the secular world we live in. He believes that economics offers critical insights into the forces that shape our societies and he's excited to contribute to this field.
Siddhant Deodhar
Siddhant Deodhar is a third-year BCom student pursuing a major in Strategic Management and a concentration in Marketing. During his studies, Siddhant has engaged in a diverse range of projects, collaborating with notable institutions such as the ۲ݮƵ University Health Centre. Working with Professor Jean-Nicolas Reyt to research "Negotiation and the Generation Z", Siddhant demonstrates a commitment to academic exploration. Post-graduation, he intends to leverage his academic knowledge and practical experience to enter the consulting industry.
Rachelle Dong
Rachelle Dong is a U2 student studying Economics, with minors in Marketing and French Language. Having completed her internship in e-commerce, Rachelle has gained a passion for technology consulting and wants to help businesses transform digitally by updating their online websites. Through the faculty project, Rachelle is helping Professor Yongoh Roh to shed light on the correlation between the Disclosure Policy and employee benefits.
Angélique Dufresne
Angélique Dufresne is a third-year student pursuing a major in Marketing with an interest in Strategy and Operations. This summer, she worked at Pharmascience, a Quebec-based pharmaceutical company, overseeing a corporate project on commercial AI. She aspires to use her marketing and research skills to work for a healthcare company. This year, she will work with Professor Mukherjee on Consumer Data and Decision Making.
Ali Eissa
Ali Eissa is a second-year student at ۲ݮƵ concentrating on Entrepreneurship and interested in Analytics. Drawn by innovation and creativity, he has initiated ventures that spotlight Egypt’s overlooked solopreneurs, quixotically simplify Finance, and offer respite to local schools navigating the pandemic’s challenges. These experiences have been both enlightening and rewarding, setting the groundwork for his Faculty Project where he will delve into the nuances of leadership dynamics under the guidance of Professor Karl Moore.
Aymane Fadiga
Aymane Fadiga is in his second year at ۲ݮƵ pursuing a BCom in Finance and Information Technology Management. He is passionate about problem-solving and the implementation of AI and Technology in solving business problems. He helped a Canadian NGO in the anti-human trafficking industry with MSBN Consulting – ۲ݮƵ’s premier pro-bono consulting practice – and conducts various research projects to provide NGOs with tools to adapt to changes in the economic environment. Aymane’s eagerness to learn about diverse industries and solve problems directed him to a career in Consulting. Through the IMSF, he works alongside Professor Augustin on risk management failures at FTX and Alameda research, which both went bankrupt in November 2022. Aymane will investigate and analyze various cases of risk management failures to propose frameworks for identifying risky derivatives exchanges.
Hanna Goh
Hanna Goh is an Australian-Swiss second-year ۲ݮƵ student pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce, with concentrations in Marketing and Strategic Management. This year, Hanna holds the position as Director of Design Relations in ۲ݮƵ's P[h]assion club, pursuing her dreams of working in the fashion industry. Learning under Professor Karl Moore, she will gather research and analyse introverts/ambiverts/extroverts in leadership positions. She hopes to develop her research, writing, and analytical skills over the coming year, as well as deepen her professional career network and goals.
Antonia Guo
Antonia Guo is a dedicated fourth-year student at ۲ݮƵ University, majoring in Geography and minoring in both GIS and Management. Her academic pursuits reflect her passion for sustainable impact and lifestyle alternatives, driven by a deep belief in environmental equality. Antonia also values spiritual connections with nature, advocating for a harmonious blend of economic development and natural lifestyles. She firmly believes in the importance of respecting and preserving the gifts of nature rather than exploiting them for personal gain. Antonia's dedication to these principles led her to become a fund manager at Montreal Propel Impact Fund (formerly MSVF), where she actively explores and investigates the real-world application of her environmentally conscious thoughts.
Alp Gurer
Alp Gurer is a fourth-year student from Istanbul, pursuing a major in Managing for Sustainability. He is passionate about the intersection of business strategy, finance and sustainability. Alp has worked at KPMG as an intern sustainability consultant and is currently a team lead for REM & Company, providing consultancy to small and medium sized businesses in the Montreal area. He wants to continue making a positive impact on the community through the IMSF program. Alp will conduct his research on the Digitization of Business Plans in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises alongside Professor Etemad.
Ralph Hoyek
Ralph Hoyek is a second-year student at ۲ݮƵ University pursuing a major in Finance and concentrations in Business Analytics and Sustainability. As part of his IMSF project, he will be working on how to reduce food waste in grocery chains. Ralph is also interested in pursuing a degree in law and is open to various career paths that involve sustainable finance, consulting, investment banking or real estate.
Yajun Hui
Yajun Hui is a U3 Sc student majoring in Honours Probability and Statistics with a minor in Management. He is interested in the practical aspect in Mathematics and likes to study the application of Math and Statistics in Finance and Real Estate (i.e: Risk Management). After completing his graduate program, he is looking forward to working in the Investment Banking Division.
Anu Khanna
Anu Khanna is a second-year BCom student from Montreal majoring in both Finance and Marketing. She is deeply moved by the current state of the fast fashion industry and aims to one day contribute to its transformation. In her free time, Anu enjoys playing basketball, learning new languages and listening to podcasts.
Anne Khazzam
Anne Khazzam is a fourth-year student at Desautels studying Strategy, Retail and Entrepreneurship. In 2021, she founded TheS’moresBox, an e-commerce venture selling gourmet s’mores kits made with homemade marshmallows. Her current career aspiration is to work in Consulting for Environmental Sustainability.
Julian Knight
Julian Knight is a U2 student studying Finance with a minor concentration in Environment. His passions include the outdoors, cycling, and music. His interests in the renewable energy sector and the preservation of the environment drive him to launch a career in impact investing.
Lara Landauro
Lara Landauro is a third-year ۲ݮƵ student pursuing a BSci degree in Computer Science with a minor in Management. A pianist since the age of 8, she aims to raise awareness about hearing risks among young adults, especially musicians. She will work alongside Professor Cossette on the Hearing-Care Platform project. She is the Co-President of the Spanish and Latin-American Student Association and a member of the ۲ݮƵ Classical Music Club.
Johanna Lau
Johanna Lau is a U2 BCom student with a triple concentration in Managing for Sustainability, Social Business Strategy, and Operations Management. She is the Editor in Chief at ESG ۲ݮƵ, a youth-led organization that researches and reports on environmental, social, and governance topics in business. After graduating, Johanna hopes to work in disaster relief, humanitarian aid, and/or climate transitions. In her faculty project with the IMSF, she is researching how to build resilient and sustainable social enterprises with Professor Anna Kim.
Audrina Law-How-Hung
Audrina Law-How-Hung is a second-year BCom student pursuing a major in Sustainability with concentrations in Business Analytics and Marketing. She is passionate about sustainability on campus and in Montreal. To this end, she is the Social Media and Marketing Director for the Desautels Sustainability Network as well as a volunteer for MealCare ۲ݮƵ. In the future, she hopes to work in ESG consulting or corporate sustainability.
Lindsey Lei
Lindsey Lei is a U2 student majoring in Business Analytics with a concentration in Marketing. She aspires to become a market analyst. Her interest in philosophy has led her to recognize opportunities for improving business ethics, which brought her to the IMSF. She is also a keyboard player, singer, songwriter in her band, and an enthusiast debater.
Aurora Li
Aurora Li, a final-year ۲ݮƵ University student majoring in Economics with double minors in Management and International Development Studies, collaborates with Professor Emmanuelle Vaast on "Open Data Initiatives for Environmental Non-Profit Organizations." She is passionate about sustainable finance and plans to pursue a Master of Finance and a career in impact investing after graduation.
Siyan Liu
Siyan Liu is a second-year BCom student at ۲ݮƵ University, majoring in Finance with a concentration in Business Analysis. Her curiosity to investigate how financial operations give rise to broader social influence has guided her academic journey. This year, she will work with Ms. Karrie-Noelle Plohman and Prof Tatiana Lamoureux Gauvin on the “Adapting Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy in Business Schools.” project. Her goal is to utilize this year-long study to craft impactful recommendations on improving inclusivity and equity within business school curricula.
Jacob Lloyd
Jacob Lloyd is a third-year student from Toronto majoring in Business Analytics with a minor in French Language. Jacob developed a passion for social justice at a young age and hopes to combine his interest in tech and analytics with his aspirations to create social change. Jacob will be working on developing a hearing-care platform that aims to promote hearing health amongst youth.
Abigail Lowe
Abigail Lowe is a second-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce with a double concentration in Managing for Sustainability and International Business. She is passionate about sustainability and the environment, particularly how these topics intersect with the business world. She aspires to have a career centered around environmentally sustainable development.
Myriam Manny
Myriam Manny is a second-year BCom student majoring in Managing for Sustainability. She is eager to learn ways businesses can be successful, while contributing positively to the communities they impact and to the environment. In the future, she hopes to apply such knowledge to drive meaningful change in and around organizations.
Miriam Mikhaeil
Miriam Mikhaeil is a second-year BCom student pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance, with a concentration in Strategic Management. Having lived in three different countries, she’s developed an interest rooted in international governance and diplomacy. As such, she hopes to build a career at the intersection of the finance world and international law, combining both her academic and personal interests.
Talia Moses
Talia Moses is a second-year Bachelor of Commerce student from Toronto majoring in Marketing. She cares deeply about social justice, human rights and medical advancement. In the future, Talia aspires to use her marketing skills to advocate for inclusivity and promote equitable opportunities. Through the IMSF, Talia hopes to collaborate with like-minded individuals and create meaningful change.
Céline Moumou
Céline Moumou is a second-year student majoring in Managing for Sustainability and Business Analytics. She is interested in the development of data-driven strategies for sustainability. She is engaged in the student community as an Events Coordinator for Desautels’ Sustainability Network and a Content Creator for Fashion Revolution ۲ݮƵ. As part of the IMSF, she will assist Professor Don Melville in researching community engagement.
Onora Nativ
Onora Nativ is a second-year BCom student hoping to pursue concentrations in Managing for Sustainability and Strategic Management. She is excited to work with Professor Jill Hanley through the Faculty of Social Work in advocating for those who are exploited by the institutions that surround us.
Evelyn Nguyen
Evelyn Nguyen is an international student from Vietnam in the B.A. Education in Global Contexts program. Her career aspiration is to emerge as an Educational Technology Entrepreneur, dedicated to crafting innovative educational technology solutions for a broad audience. Her ultimate aim is to play a pivotal role in ensuring equitable access to education for all.
Darwin Niu
Darwin Niu is a second year student majoring in Finance. He is interested in financial markets and has a deep interest in sharing knowledge with his peers. He currently acts as the Director of Finance of the Tutoring Services where he wishes to expand student access to teaching resources. Later on, Darwin aspires to work in banking. In his spare time, he enjoys swimming and reading. Darwin will be working with Professor Billou and Professor Nason to research the innovative approaches to entrepreneurship pedagogy.
Arno Ohlenbusch
Arno Ohlenbusch is a fourth year BCom student pursuing a concentration in Finance and a minor in Mathematics. Arno is looking forward to working at State Street after graduation within the US Banking Industry. Through the IMSF, he is eager to work alongside ۲ݮƵ Professors on impactful research while also making a social impact on the Montreal community.
Yued Ching Stesha Ong
Yued Ching Stesha Ong is a second-year ۲ݮƵ student majoring in Managing for Sustainability. In her free time, she enjoys watching dramas and caring for her many house plants. She will be working with the Desautels Sustainability Network as the Director of Decolonization. She aspires to create an equal working environment wherever she goes. This year, she will be working with Associate Director Karrie- Noelle Plohman and Professor Tatiana Lamoureux Gauvin on Adapting Inclusive Curriculum & Pedagogy in Business Schools.
Maya Pasut
Maya Pasut is a third-year BCom student majoring in Marketing and IT Management, with an interest in Managing for Sustainability. She is pursuing her passion for pushing sustainability in the fashion industry and is working alongside Professor Melville on the study of reducing clothing waste in landfills within Quebec. She also enjoys her involvement as a director in Fashion Business Uncovered.
Edie Pearman
Edie Pearman is a third-year student pursuing a degree in Computer Science and Communication Studies, accompanied by a minor in Management. She is interested in how we can redesign our interactions with surrounding technology in order to better care for our planet and the people who inhabit it.
Declan Perkins
Declan Perkins is a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student pursuing a major in Mathematics. He is passionate about using science to create value for customers, and plans to one day become an entrepreneur. For his faculty project, he will continue working under Professors John-Paul Ferguson and Roman Galperin on optimizing geographical social science research techniques to make them accessible to a wider range of researchers. In his free time, Declan enjoys playing keyboard, coding personal projects and playing recreational soccer.
Ruo-Ying Qi
Ruo-Ying Qi is in her fourth year majoring in Business Analytics with a concentration in Operations Management. She aims to pursue a career in tech consulting after graduation. This year, Ruo-Ying will work alongside Professor Shoeb Hosain to help develop the newly launched DataLab at Desautels and build an analytics community.
Abhi Rai
Abhi Rai is a fourth-year BCom student studying Marketing and Economics with a concentration in Computer Science. His primary interest is in the applications of behavioral economics and consumer behavior. He plans on pursuing a career that allows him to advance those interests through the use of technology. In his free time, Abhi’s either playing the guitar or some football with his friends. This year Abhi is working with Professor Nason examining entrepreneurship in townships in South Africa.
Sophie Xuefei Ren
Sophie Xuefei Ren is in her senior year pursuing a BCom in International Management with a Concentration in International Business and a Minor in Psychology. Through case competitions, she discovered her enthusiasm for critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. She is currently a Project Manager at MSBN, the largest pro-bono practice at ۲ݮƵ, dedicated to creating meaningful impact for non-profit organizations in the Montreal community.
Esteban Ronsin
Esteban Ronsin, a second-year international student at ۲ݮƵ, specializes in Strategic Management and Finance. Born and raised in Paris, France, he embraced the challenge of stepping outside of his comfort zone by choosing ۲ݮƵ for his academic journey. Recently, he initiated Consulting Academy ۲ݮƵ to use his leadership skills to share his passion for the consulting world, while also promoting the recruitment success of fellow students.
Chloe Rozier
Chloe Rozier is a French expat living in Miami. Her ultimate goal is to establish her own business, one that will support communities and act as a catalyst in driving societies toward a more sustainable future. She believes a communal mindset adopted by industries to promote sustainable practices will transform individual lifestyles.
Hana Samad
Hana Samad is in her final year pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Joint Honors History and Political Science. She has previously interned within Washington, DC, and co-founded community development non-for-profit Loiter! to economically stimulate and serve the missing needs of her hometown, Cleveland, Ohio. More recently, Hana has been exploring what responsible technology policy looks like for the 21st century, both ethically and practically, and how to design it to improve society at large. Hana will continue investigating this interest with Prof. Samer Faraj, researching how AI can be used in healthcare to optimize resource allocation in burdened systems.
Yudi Su
Yudi Su is a second-year student majoring in Business Analytics with a minor in Statistics. His passion lies in leveraging data analysis and business intelligence skills to facilitate the digital transformation of traditional firms, which he gained insights into during his internship last summer. Throughout the internship, he acquired valuable experience in how manufacturing companies endeavor to achieve digitalization in their production processes, project tracking, and supply chain management, etc. He also aspires to explore diverse fields in the future. In his leisure time, he enjoys playing the piano and the guitar. He is an enthusiast of live music, with a particular fondness for rock music.
Benedict Tan
Benedict Tan is a second-year student raised in Montreal, majoring in Software Engineering and Sociology. He is passionate about diversity initiatives, technological effects on society, and the ESG sector. This fall, he is interning at Pratt and Whitney Canada in data and project management, where he utilizes his programming and management skills. Outside of academics, he makes music and loves soccer, art, and, of course, enjoys listening to music.
Kiana Tang
Kiana Tang is a third-year ۲ݮƵ student majoring in Marketing. Getting involved in Research Project Bensadoun School of Retail Management and ۲ݮƵ Redbird Sports Shop in her second year at ۲ݮƵ, made Kiana realize she could see herself working in the fashion industry after graduating, as she is interested in beauty and fashion. In her faculty project with the IMSF, Kiana will be working with Professor Don Melville on Reducing Clothing in Landfills in Quebec that aims to determine “net green” opportunities for the clothing industry.
Yinghan Tian
Yinghan Tian is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Commerce program, majoring in Finance with a minor in Statistics. With a keen interest in the financial market dynamics, Yinghan aspires to start a career in the venture capital industry. Committed to the ethos of socially responsible investing, Yinghan aims to make a positive impact through strategic investment decisions that benefit society. This year, Yinghan will work on the Network Contributors to Workplace Inequalities research project alongside Professor Brian Rubineau and two esteemed fellows.
Lise Tokam Messa
Lise Tokam Messa, a student majoring in Accounting to become a CPA, has always cared about making the world a better place for everyone. After achieve her career goals, she would like to open a rehabilitation center for homeless people, or an association helping struggling spouses or moms. In addition, she wants to be more involved in Sustainability than she is currently. She thinks the IMSF is the best place to start implementing an impact initiative that will have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.
Sofia Tomljanovic
Sofia Tomljanovic is a third-year student pursuing a double major in Managing for Sustainability and Economics. She cares deeply about the impact of our economic system on the environment, and its exacerbation of social inequality. She is the co-president of ESG ۲ݮƵ and has experience researching humanitarian aid financing at SeeChange Initiative. Sofia works with Professor Marie Lamothe analyzing sustainability and health sciences programs’ data at the Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship.
Guillaume Toulza
Guillaume Toulza is a third-year Finance and Business Analytics student. He is interested in sustainability and biotechnology, which he aims to advance through novel data-driven tools and impact investing. As part of the IMSF, he will be working with Prof. Yongoh Roh on assessing pay transparency policy effects.
Nikki Tye
Nikki Tye is a fourth year International Development and Social Entrepreneurship student. Having completed five months of field work across Patagonia and the Peruvian Amazon, she is most interested in how existing market resources and technologies can be harnessed to promote sustainable environmental change. This year she will be working alongside Professor Emmanuelle Vaast to explore the role open data initiatives have on environmental non-profits.
Nikos Wildhaber-Riley
Nikos Wildhaber-Riley is a U3 student with Joint Honours in Finance and Economics. He is currently working on the Linking Executive Compensation to ESG Performance Project with Professor Begum Ipek Yavuz. He is interested in Impact Investing, namely financing green infrastructure projects, such as the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) light-rain train in Montreal.
Yanfei Wu
Yanfei Wu is a third-year student majoring in Business Analytics with a concentration in Marketing. She is open to new things and likes to step out of her comfort zone. She is looking forward to collaborating with passionate people. She expects to gain more insight toward business and society through the IMSF faculty projects. This year, she will be working on Professor Rubineau’s project of Network Contributors to Workplace Inequalities.
Yanjie Yi
Yanjie Yi is a third-year ۲ݮƵ BCom student, specializing in Economics and concentrating in Business Analysis. Her passion for economics and general business was ignited when she discovered that economic principles could elucidate various social phenomena, which is closely related to management. Yanjie is particularly committed to addressing pressing social issues, with a strong focus on gender inequality. As part of the IMSF program, she looks forward to her research endeavor alongside Professor Rubineau, where they will investigate the Network Contributors to Workplace Inequalities.
Chloe You
Chloe You is a fourth-year Finance student with a minor in Statistics. She is intrigued by the idea of using technology with a quantitative approach to solve business problems. In her spare time, Chloe enjoys photography and trying out new coffee shops. This year, Chloe is working with Professor Shoeb Hosain to help establish an analytics community for experiential learning and the newly launched Data Sphere Lab.
Ina Zhou
Ina Zhou is a second-year student pursuing a degree in Finance and Information Technology Management. During her time at ۲ݮƵ, she has developed a strong fascination for technology and its interconnectedness with the corporate world. She has been involved with the ۲ݮƵ Business Review and the Students’ Society of ۲ݮƵ University. This year, Ina has had the chance to intern at the National Bank Financial in Wealth Management. With her continuing interest in Finance, Ina will be working with Professor Don Melville to research socially responsible investing in Quebec.
Research Projects
Open Data Initiatives for Environmental Nonprofit Organizations
Open data initiatives, i.e., initiatives that aim at developing and managing data that are open for all and are free to use, re-use or redistribute, have recently multiplied thanks to the growing availability of digital technologies and trends such as open sourcing. Often, open data initiatives are spearheaded by large organizations and institutions - such as cities and governments – that have access to large pools of technical and financial resources. The potential for open data initiatives for conservation missions (i.e., for missions associated with conserving the environment in specific locations and enhancing the sustainability of the planet) is particularly high because open data can help target conservation practices, analyze environmental data, and share best practices and knowledge among conservation actors. Yet, so far, open data initiatives for conversation missions have been rare. The reason for this is that many critical conservation missions are spearheaded by environmental non-profit organizations that operate in parts of the world where conserving earth resources and protecting biodiversity is particularly important. Environmental non-profit organizations do not usually benefit from access to ample technical and financial resources for projects such as open data initiatives that can help their mission but are not directly their mission. The faculty fellows will participate in a review of open data initiatives by environmental non-profit organizations.
Fellow(s): Aurora Li and Nicole Tye are working with Prof. Emmanuelle Vaast of the Information Systems Area.
Introverts/Ambiverts/Extroverts in the C Suite
This ongoing project requires analyzing hundreds of already conducted interviews with C-Suite, Executives and CEOs to gain insights. Comparing the key insights with already existing literature to further broaden the implications for a written component.
Fellow(s): Esteban Ronsin, Xuefei Sophie Ren, Hanna Goh and Ali Eissa are working with Prof. Karl Moore of the Strategy Area.
Negotiation and the Generation Z
The project is focused on understanding the barriers Gen Zs face when negotiating. The project includes various initiatives, including writing negotiation simulations and helping organize events.
Fellow(s): Zexian Chen and Sid Deodhar are working with Prof. Jean-Nicolas Reyt of the Organizational Behavior Area.
Data Analysis of International Entrepreneurship Rankings
This research project has two components: 1) Analyzing the methodology behind international rankings and awards to understand the global ecosystem, current positioning of ۲ݮƵ's Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, and derive key insights into competitive advantages and opportunity areas for ۲ݮƵ. 2) Diagnosing ۲ݮƵ's Dobson Centre database of start-ups to summarize trends, diversity, growth and inform future international submissions. The Faculty Supervisor and the Fellows will work to landscape the international entrepreneurship scene, identify current trends, inform best practices, and critically assess the current position of the Dobson Centre. The students will work together to produce a final report for future international submissions of the centre. Students will work with the interdisciplinary Dobson team and have the opportunity to learn about our programs and shadow start-ups when appropriate.
Fellow(s): Emma Betty is working with Prof. Marie-Josée Lamothe of the Entrepreneurship Area.
The Real Effects of Firm Legal Status
There are two firms of legal status available to newly created firms in France: SARL (a "rigid" status that entrepreneurs cannot change) and SAS (a "flexible" status that entrepreneurs can customize). We study a 2009 reform that made it easier for entrepreneurs to use the flexible status. Our question is: is it a good thing to offer flexibility to entrepreneurs? Do entrepreneurs take advantage of this flexibility to make their firms grow more, or do they make mistakes when defining their legal status? This project will contribute to an academic paper that will shed light on the real effects of firm legal status, and on the financial literacy of entrepreneurs.
Fellow(s): Arno Ohlenbusch and Zexuan Deng are working with Prof. Paul Beaumont of the Finance Area. This is a joint research project with Prof. Adrien Matray (Princeton) and Prof. Johan Hombert (HEC Paris).
How AI Changed OUR Food
Provide assistance to write a book about how the corporate giants are using AI and technology to change our relationship with food.
Fellow(s): Lindsey Lei, Evelyn Nguyen and Abigail Lowe are working with Prof. Juan Serpa of the Analytics area.
Data Analysis of New Sustainability and Life Sciences Programs at the Dobson
This research project has two components: 1) Analyzing the methodology behind international rankings and awards to understand the global ecosystem in both sustainability and life sciences, current positioning of ۲ݮƵ's Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship in those two fields and derive key insights into competitive advantages and opportunity areas for ۲ݮƵ. 2) Diagnosing ۲ݮƵ's Dobson Centre new offerings in sustainability and life sciences while summarizing trends, diversity, and growth regarding current and past start-ups in database. The Faculty Supervisor and the Fellows will work to critically assess the new offerings of the Dobson in sustainability (Fall) and life sciences (Winter) at the dawn of renewal from funding partners. Together, they will landscape the international entrepreneurship scene, identify current trends, inform best practices, and future improvements for the programs based on key performance indicators. The students will work together to produce a final report for future international submissions of the centre. Students will work with the interdisciplinary Dobson team and have the opportunity to learn about our programs and shadow start-ups when appropriate.
Fellow(s): Sofia Tomljanovic is working with Prof. Marie-Josée Lamothe of the Entrepreneurship Area.
The Architecture Profession in Peril: Understanding Professional Change Through Archival and Ethnographic Analysis
In an era in which professions are seeing a rupture of their credibility, some have argued that the architectural profession is in a state of crisis, locked in an ongoing struggle to establish professional legitimacy. This research project utilizes archival and ethnographic data sources to detail the threats faced by the Canadian architecture profession, and how the profession has evolved based on perceived threats. Specifically, this project will involve archival data collection, coding and analysis, along with topic focused literature reviews. The ethnographic data for this study is continually being collected, and the fellow may have the opportunity to observe meetings and experience the fieldwork process alongside the lead researcher. Additionally, the fellow will have an opportunity to gain skills in graphic representation, visualization, and system mapping. This research seeks to understand how mature professions evolve, or are deprofessionalized by the ۲ݮƵ field that surrounds them.
Fellow(s): Edie Pearman is working with Prof. Samer Faraj and Gina Page of the Strategy & Organization Area.
Adapting H3 Geospatial Libraries for Social Science Research
Many inherently spatial questions in the social sciences are hard to answer because of incompatible data sources. Solving said incompatibilities involves solving both the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem and the Zoning Problem; but the processes for doing so are complicated and rarely scalable. Our goal is to leverage the H3 libraries, originally developed by Uber, as a common translation standard between geospatial data sources. We will be developing several libraries for common statistical languages like R, which will speed up this sort of work by several orders of magnitude. This work could potentially drastically lower the barriers to entry for geospatial social science.
Fellow(s):William Declan John Perkins is working with Prof. John-Paul Ferguson and Prof. Roman Galperin of the Organizational Behaviour Area.
How AI Technologies Transform Coordination in Resource-Constrained Healthcare Organizations
In resource-constrained contexts, technology has often been proposed as a way to do more with less or to improve efficiency and effectiveness. In healthcare, attempts to introduce technologies such as EHR, telehealth, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, have been welcomed and the promised digital transformation implicit in slogans such as “the hospital of the future” is well under way. Yet, these promised transformations have faced difficulties and the sector remains one of the least computerized of the economy (Jones et al., 2019). Indeed, technological change often does not unfold as planned. This project involves two in-depth longitudinal field studies to explore how AI technologies participate in efforts to improve the coordination of care delivery in two leading Canadian hospitals. The first study focuses on how AI and data technologies affect staffing and coordination of trauma care at a leading trauma center in Quebec. The second study focuses on the introduction of an AI-based schedule optimizing system to improve the coordination and throughput of Operating Rooms (ORs) at two leading Canadian hospitals.
Fellow(s):Hana Samad is working with Prof. Samer Faraj of the Strategy Area.
Design and Implementation of a Digital Tool for Mapping for Partners and Resources
Digital technologies have been taking unprecedented salience in our everyday life but remain nascent in their ability to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable people. This project embraces this opportunity through a multi-stakeholder Living Lab that will generate evidence-based, holistic, community-engaged, and digital-powered solutions for the vulnerable population in Montreal. Through a process of collaboration, co-creation and real-world experimentation, This Living Lab project will generate digital solutions that bridge the human and digital divide between health professionals, public health services, and community organizations, and that tackle the challenges that our partners face in addressing the evolving health and social needs of our most vulnerable population. This Living Lab project will operate within the broader Smart City-Health City initiative co-led by ۲ݮƵ Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics. The fellows will get a unique chance to work with on-the-ground implementation partners, benefit from close faculty coaching and industry mentorships, and acquire professional skills that will enhance their job readiness. At the same time, the Living Lab will generate a better understanding of the determinants of Smart and Healthy Cities that can be implemented as successful, scalable and enduring solutions to many current and future challenges faced by growing and increasingly complex urban communities.
Fellow(s): Yajun Hui and Antonio Brunetti are working with Prof. Laurette Dubé of the Marketing area and Dr. Catherine Paquet of FSA ULaval and Dr. Raja Sengupta of the Bieler School of Environment and Department of Geography.
#metoo and the Gender Diversity of Collaborations
This research project aims to investigate whether and how the #metoo movement has changed the demographic composition of scientific and technological collaborations, especially focusing on the gender dimension. There is prior evidence that collaborations exhibit gender homophily, and we are interested in exploring whether events like #metoo amplify such tendencies or diminish them. This work will contribute to an academic paper that will contribute to better understand gender diversity in teams and its effect on subsequent output productivity both in terms of quality and quantity.
Fellow(s): Talia Moses is working with Prof. Sen Chai of the Strategy & Organization area.
Building Resilient Social Enterprises
Social enterprises aspire to achieve financial sustainability without compromising their social mission. Despite the growing interest in the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship, many social enterprises struggle to survive in the competitive marketplace and have been exposed to various shocks and disturbances (e.g., economic recession, COVID-19 pandemic). The Fellows will participate in an ongoing field study of social enterprises that have been facing significant financial and other forms of challenges. Through an in-depth study of organizations that have ceased to exist, as well as those that continue to operate and thrive, the project aims to offer insights into building resilient social enterprises.
Fellow(s): Johanna Lau is working with Prof. Anna Kim from the Strategy and Sustainability Area.
Impact Investing: Models and Strategies from Plural Sector Organizations
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from developing countries pursue increased sustainability as suppliers in global value chains. However, they encounter major financing barriers to implement sustainable strategies. Impact investors with social and environmental investment goals target investing in firms engaging in sustainable production in developing countries. This project explores the strategies of impact investors from the plural sector. We will examine the impact investing models and strategies that not-for-profit organizations use to support the sustainability strategies of SMEs in value chains.
Fellow(s): Vincent Barsalou is working with Prof. Paola Perez-Aleman of the Strategy Area.
Show Me the Money: Pay Transparency and Workplace Practices
To address a long-standing concern about racial and gender pay disparities, several U.S. state governments have enacted a pay transparency mandate that requires local employers to include information about the expected salary of the position advertised in all their job postings. However, little is known about the potential harm and pernicious consequences of the regulation. The objective of this project is to analyze the unintended impact of the price-focused disclosure mandate on the quality of workplace practices. This project aims to contribute to the literature by documenting a novel price-quality trade-off. Also, this project can provide important empirical facts and therefore advance our understanding of policy effects, both ex-ante and ex-post. In this regard, this study can inform policymakers in assessing the cost-benefits of the pay transparency rules and designing effective regulations in the future.
Fellow(s): Rachelle (Phuong) Dong and Guillaume Toulza are working with Prof. Yongoh Roh of the Accounting Area.
What’s Really in Human Capital Disclosures?
Parallel with growing stakeholder attention to human capital management (HCM), this research project investigates how companies approach the HCM disclosure. Specifically, it tackles two questions that remain underexplored in finance and management research: 1) what claims do companies make in addressing HCM details? and 2) what factors might account for the presence of such claims? This project benefits from recent amendments issued by the Securities Exchange Commission that include the requirement of the description of a registrant’s human capital resources. The research team will collect and analyze the 10-K and proxy statement filings to address those questions.
Fellow(s): Anne Khazzam is working with Prof. Kwangjun An of the Strategy & Organization Area.
Township Entrepreneurship
This research project seeks to examine the unique dynamics of entrepreneurship in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa. Building on unique multi method data that involves GIS, photographic, and survey data and the potential to collect new qualitative data, we will work towards developing a paper for publication. This will be an inductive process that seeks to make sense of the data and iterate to identifying a promising gap in the growing literature on entrepreneurship in contexts of poverty and informality to contribute to. The fellow will play an active role in sense making in the data and beginning to craft a contribution to the field of entrepreneurship.
Fellow(s): Antonia Guo and Abhi Rai are working with Prof. Robert Nason of the Strategy Area.
Consumer Data & Managerial Decision-Making
Different types of data about consumers are collected and used by firms to make better business decisions. The goal of this project is to create teaching materials that will educate students about different types of consumer data that can be collected; data collection methods; data analysis methods; and using the results of data analysis to improve managerial decision-making. The deliverables for this project will be a report describing different types of consumer data and identifying teaching materials (e.g., cases, teaching notes, datasets with exercises, simulations, syllabi/best practices in other universities) to educate students about consumer data and its use in managerial decision-making.
Fellow(s): Angélique Dufresne is working with Prof. Ashesh Mukherjee a of the Marketing Area.
Preparing for the Worst? 'Plan B' Taken by Audit Committee Before the Financial Restatement Announcement
Although general public finds out the occurrence of financial misstatement at the point when the announcement is made by the firm, corporate insiders (i.e., CEOs, CFOs, board of directors, and audit committee members) normally become aware of the upcoming mishap way before the official disclosure of the negative event. This study aims to investigate what are the timely approaches taken by executives to prepare for the unfavorable incident which may have huge negative consequences towards the firm and also towards their personal careers. The faculty supervisors and fellows will try to find interesting answers to this question through examining (1) director turnovers, (2) change in general council, (3) legal expertise hiring, (4) window dressing activities (i.e., CSR), (5) compensation package, (6) purchasing D&O insurance, and (7) financial reporting behavior. This work not only contributes to academic literature, but also provides valuable insights to practitioners, investors, and regulators.
Fellow(s): Xuefei (Justina) Cheng is working with Prof. Peter Oh of the Accounting Area and Prof Jingjing Zhang of the Accounting Area.
Network Contributors to Workplace Inequalities
Social network analysis (different from social media) is a tool to quantify and analyze relationships among individuals in a social system. It is a powerful tool that goes beyond individual-level analysis students commonly encounter in statistics classes. Most statistics is based on an assumption of independence. Social network analysis embraces interdependence. This tool can help reveal social processes that are overlooked by individual-level analysis. This project uses social network data and network analysis to understand processes that give rise to inequalities (gender, racial/ethnic, disability, and more) in workplaces.
Fellow(s): Yanjie Yi , Yinghan Tian and Yanfei Wu are working with Prof. Brian Rubineau of the Organizational Behavior Area.
Digitization of Business Plans in Small and Medium Size Enterprise (SMEs) for Increased Dynamic Capabilities, Competitiveness, Strategic Agility, and International Growth
The primary aim of this project is to explore the development of SMEs' online-based internationalization. This examination will research/study to learn about: i) The operation of large international online enterprises, including online platforms (e.g., Alibaba.com, Amazon.com, Shopify.ca, Spotify.com, etc.), ii) Online platforms’ supply chain of smaller enterprises, and iii) The characteristics of digitized small ventures and multi-sided platforms’ mutual interactions, including those as suppliers, buyers and intermediaries that facilitate their supply chain and process of their international relationships for achieving mutually beneficial international growth.
Fellow(s): Naureen Ahmed, Alp Gurer and Laura Baek are working with Prof. Hamid Etemad from the Marketing Department.
Linking Executive Compensation to ESG Performance
This project studies the effects of integrating ESG metrics in executive compensation packages. Using a novel dataset that compiles information about executive compensation packages and ESG metrics, the faculty supervisor and the fellow will seek to understand how ESG contracting impacts firm outcomes in terms of both ESG and financial performance. This work will contribute to an academic paper that will shine light on the effectiveness and implications of tying executive compensation to ESG data.
Fellow(s): Nikos Wildhaber-Riley is working with Prof. Begum Ipek Yavuz of the Finance area.
Metrics of Success in EDI Initiatives in Post-Secondary Institutions
Metrics of Success: This project will conduct research into best practices related to the use of KPI's and metrics of success in the evaluation of EDI initiatives in North American post-secondary institutions. Given the potential implication of EDI efforts on university campuses, this project will complete research on best practices as well as develop functional measures of success for the Faculty of Management. This will be done in consultation with the EDI team and, potentially, the University's Equity Team. An assessment of the existing EDI Action Plan may also be undertaken based on the identified KPI's.
Fellow(s): Catherine Chen and Benedict Tan are working with Karrie-Noelle Plohman.
Innovative Approaches to Entrepreneurship Pedagogy
This project will research current practices and approaches to entrepreneurship pedagogy at the graduate and undergraduate level. This will involve benchmarking against leading programs, identifying particularly innovative courses, and brainstorming new entrepreneurship and innovation offerings. The ultimate goal will be additions and revisions to ۲ݮƵ's entrepreneurship and innovation course offerings.
Fellow(s): Darwin Niu working with Prof. Robert Nason and Prof. Niels Billou of the Strategy & Organization Area.
Building an Analytics Community for ML Experiential Learning & Data Science Life-Long-Learning
Picking up from the first phase in the IMSF 2022-23 cohort, in this exploratory project, we will look to researching, measuring, and defining how to develop an Analytics community for Desautels, ۲ݮƵ, Montreal and Canada. This project will have 3 parts: The 1st being a strategic measurement in developing an ‘Analytics Community CRM’ for those who want to develop their technical acumen over their careers. The 2nd is to quantify community members progression in their careers, and the 3rd is developing a Life-Long-Learning strategies for learning & growth streams. Students will work on elements of the project that complement their strengths and interest and should think about this as Phase 1-2 of a multi-staged project.
Fellow(s): Ruo Ying Qi and Chloé You are working with Prof. Shoeb Hosain of the Operations Management Area.
Reducing Clothing in Landfills in Quebec
This research project is focused on determining “net green” opportunities for the clothing industry. This project will be centred on reducing the amount of clothing that reaches landfills in Quebec, with a focus on Montreal and the surrounding regions. The study will be on clothing that is not able to be re-worn or donated, looking at the feasibility of setting up a structure to recycle and/or reuse the materials for use in other clothing or items. This study will analyze the landscape in Quebec (with a focus on Montreal and its surrounding regions) and best practices in other regions in order to determine opportunities for improvement and develop actionable recommendations to take advantage of these opportunities. Note: “A business activity is net green if and only if it reduces overall environmental impact.” Zink, T. & Geyer, R. (2016).
Fellow(s): Anu Khanna, Shanrong Tang and Maya Pasut are working with Prof. Don Melville of the Finance and Strategy & Organization Areas.
Reducing Food Waste From Grocery Chains
This research project is focused on determining “net green” opportunities for the food industry. This project will be centred on reducing the amount of food that reaches landfills in Quebec from grocery stores, with a focus on Montreal and the surrounding regions. The study will be on food at grocery stores that is not sold, looking at the feasibility of setting up a structure to distribute that food in other ways to reduce landfill. This study will analyze the landscape in Quebec (with a focus on Montreal and its surrounding regions) and best practices in other regions in order to determine opportunities for improvement and develop actionable recommendations to take advantage of these opportunities. Note: “A business activity is net green if and only if it reduces overall environmental impact.” Zink, T. & Geyer, R. (2016).
Fellow(s): Myriam Manny, Ralph Hoyek and Audrina Law-How-Hung are working with Prof. Don Melville of the Finance and Strategy & Organization Areas.
Increasing Community Engagement
This research project is focused on increasing community engagement in Quebec, with a focus on Montreal and its surrounding regions. The study will be on the positioning of community engagement in Quebec compared to Canada and the World, what drives individuals to be engaged, barriers to engagement, and opportunities to overcome those barriers. This study will analyze the landscape in Quebec (with a focus on Montreal and its surrounding regions) and best practices in other regions in order to determine opportunities for improvement and develop actionable recommendations to take advantage of these opportunities.
Fellow(s): Céline Moumou, Lise Tokam and Chloe Rozier working with Prof. Don Melville of the Finance and Strategy & Organization Areas.
New Initiatives in Business Ethics @ Desautels
The mission of the Laidley Centre for Business Ethics (LCBE) is to bring together and invigorate business ethics expertise at Desautels and ۲ݮƵ. The centre aims to foster multi-disciplinary research and discussions about business ethics across the university and our wider community. The fellow will have an opportunity to contribute to the development of business ethics programing at Desautels that engages students with critical business ethics issues of our times, such as global inequality; equity, diversity, and inclusion; and sustainability. The fellow will work on designing and implementing several initiatives which could include tasks such as research, event coordination and social media engagement. They will have the opportunity to design and implement initiatives of their own while also being able to work alongside the LCBE Business Ethics Ambassadors.
Fellow(s): Emma Clapp to working with Prof. Holmgren and Nikita Boston-Fisher of the Strategy Area and Nikita Boston-Fisher.
Social Responsible Investing in Quebec
The goal of this research project is to develop a comprehensive picture of the environmental, social and responsible investing (ESG) landscape in Quebec. This project would focus on investing in not-for-profit and for profit organizations, and would aim to develop a strong picture of the present landscape across the various funding stages (ex: pre-seed, seed funding, various Series funding, Mezzanine…) as well as how this may evolve in the future (next 3-5 years). This project would include secondary research as well as interviews with key stakeholders.
Fellow(s): Esmeralda Chibane, Micha Abbas, Miriam Mikhaeil and Ina Zhou to work with Prof. Don Melville of the Finance and Strategy & Organization Areas.
Adapting Inclusive Curriculum & Pedagogy in Business Schools
Adapting Inclusive Curriculum: This project will conduct research into inclusive curriculum and pedagogical practices at other business schools in Canada. This research will consider decolonial, anti-racist and anti-oppression theories which is informing curriculum development and pedagogy in other institutions. This project will also evaluate and assess current practices within the Desautels Faculty of Management and will put forward a proposal for improvement.
Fellow(s): Yued Ong and Siyan Liu are working with Prof. Tatiana Lamoureux Gauvin and Karrie-Noelle Plohman.
How Healthy do we Eat? Understanding and Supporting Consumer Food Purchases through Retail Loyalty Programs
Many factors contribute to consumer food choices, which subsequently have important health, social, economic, and environmental impacts. The overarching goal of this research is to develop a behaviorally informed, adaptive, and automated decision-support system to support consumer food choices at grocery stores. Leveraging a big dataset from prominent loyalty card program in Quebec, the goal of this project is to create an index that scores the healthiness of consumer grocery baskets over time. After developing the index, we will work toward building a personalized recommendation system to suggest products that guide consumers toward meeting established nutrition guidelines.
Fellow(s): Yudi Su and Julian Knight to work with Prof. Yu Ma of the Marketing Area and Prof Laurette Dubé of the Marketing Area, as well as Doctoral students.
Hearing-Care Platform: A Dedicated Ecosystem for Personalized Assessment of Noise-Exposure and the Promotion of Hearing Health
According to the World Health Organization (2019), those exposed to loud sounds in social settings for a period of 20 years and over are more than three times at risk of hearing loss compared to those unexposed, and 5–10% of listeners are likely to develop hearing loss. Studies have shown that young musicians are particularly at risk. Thanks to a joint partnership between ۲ݮƵ, ETS and UdeM, an inexpensive, personal noise exposure set of tools, targeted at youths, musicians and others without a technical background, is now available, at the Marvin Duchow Library (۲ݮƵ), to help counter the growing trend of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). The Hearing-Care Platform aims at raising awareness of, and promoting, hearing care in youths by applying cutting-edge research on the development of practical and accessible noise exposure self-assessment tools. The platform consists of three components: a listening-level measuring kiosk, a smartphone-based noise measurement app, and a companion web server. Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is permanent and irreversible, but generally progressive and preventable. By reducing NIHL, the hearing-care platform will have a positive impact on societal cost, especially given the negative effects NIHL has on social withdrawal, mental health and academic performance. Visit the .
This project aims at preventing noise induced hearing loss, first into the music community, ۲ݮƵ and finally at large. In order to make this sustainable, the long-term plan needs to be as accessible as possible. This will have to align with values such as equity, diversity and inclusion so the social and health impact is significant.
Fellow(s): Jacob Lloyd and Lara Landauro are working with Prof. Isabelle Cossette of the ۲ݮƵ’s Schulich School of Music and Prof. Jérémie Voix of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at ÉTS Montreal (École de Technologie Supérieure).
Labour Standards, Occupational Health and Safety of Precarious Status Workers
Become part of a dynamic team of researchers, community workers and public health actors to advance the labour rights of precarious status (asylum seekers, migrant workers, undocumented) workers. We will be engaged in a combination of data analysis (quant and qual), writing articles, and translating results into action via trainings, advocacy and media.
Fellow(s): Harry Brar and Onora-Carmel Nativ to work with Professor Jill Hanley, Professor at the ۲ݮƵ School of Social Work.
Risk Management Failures: A Case Study of FTX and Alameda Research
A research project that aims to analyze the investment strategies of Bankman Fried's FTX and its investment arm Alameda Research. Understanding the investment strategies and examining its implications for risk management is useful to understand the risks and fallacies when investing into digital assets firms. The goal is to eventually publish this case study in a journal like the Financial Analysts Journal or similar.
Fellow(s): Aymane Fadiga working with Professor Patrick Augustin of the Finance area.
Impact Initiatives
Climate Connect Canada
Fellows: Antonio Brunetti, Darwin Niu, Hana Samad, Benedict Tan, Nikki Tye,
Impact Initiative Goal: Breaking down silos in climate action efforts across different sectors and organizations to drive effective environment policy changes.
Team Climate Connect Canada noticed the increasing emissions that Canada is responsible for, yet at the same time, saw so much innovation in Canadian universities, NGOs, non profits, and government agencies tackling sustainability issues. The siloed nature of these actors create duplications of efforts, inconsistent policies, and missed opportunities for collaboration. Their solution is Climate Connect Canada, an inter-university non-profit that leads workshops, organizes conferences and roundtables, publishes reports, and creates media campaigns. Through these actions, Climate Connect Canada wants to nurture the leaders of tomorrow, facilitate coordination, and increase public knowledge.
Sincere Data Collective
Fellows: Naureen Ahmed, Céline Moumou, Edie Pearman, Sophie Xuefei Ren, Ina Zhou
Impact Initiative Goal: Facilitating data transparency by enacting awareness, accountability, and traceability at an everyday employee level.
78% of business and IT leaders believe that data bias will become a bigger concern, however they lack understanding of the topic. This led Team Sincere Data Collective to uncover the growing need for data transparency and education on data bias. In response, they created an online toolkit catered towards data driven startups with non-technical founders and managers. This toolkit has three main components: 1) an interactive guide that provides businesses tailored data transparency recommendations, 2) a community platform that fosters the sharing of best practices and also allows users to get their methodologies peer reviewed, and 3) access to a variety of external resources on data transparency.
Team Education Accessibility
Fellows: Laura Baek, Esmerelda Chibane, Siyan Liu, Jacob Lloyd, Yanjie (Sally) Yi
Impact Initiative Goal: Create better accessibility for students with invisible disabilities at ۲ݮƵ.
Team Education Accessibility chose to tackle the issue of poor accessibility for individuals with disabilities after seeing that a lack of accessibility leads to isolation from society, poverty, mental health issues, and lower life quality. Specifically, they pinpointed a gap in ۲ݮƵ’s resources for students with invisible disabilities. The two main issues their impact initiative tackles is the struggle ۲ݮƵ students have in getting a diagnosis for their disability and the lack of inclusive curriculums for those with learning disabilities. To solve the first issue, the team created an online resource hub that helps students get diagnoses through a customizable and intuitive platform. To solve the second issue, the team aims to implement Universal Design for Learning guidelines in Desautels’ curriculum to make learning more accessible to students with disabilities.
Food Fighters
Fellows: Alp Gurer, Anu Khanna, Maya Pasut, Declan Perkins, Abhi Rai
Impact Initiative Goal: To increase student food security on campus by coordinating existing food initiatives and creating a communal kitchen.
Team Food Fighters pinpointed that there are demand and supply issues that increase student food insecurity on campus. On the supply side, they noticed a lack of resources, communication, and collaboration among existing food initiatives available to students. To solve this problem they are reviving the ۲ݮƵ Food Coalition (MFC). They proposed their new MFC mandate to improve food security on campus at ۲ݮƵ’s 2024 Food Summit. On the demand side, they determined the main issues were related to high prices, inconvenient distances, and lack of awareness and community. Their solution to this issue is creating a community kitchen on campus where students can pay an inexpensive membership fee to get access to pre portioned ingredients and recipes. Members also receive access to a communal kitchen where they can cook their meals.
Food First
Fellows: Catherine Chen, Antonia Guo, Yinghan Tian, Nikos Wildhaber-Riley
Impact Initiative Goal: Support ۲ݮƵ student food security by spreading awareness of food resources to beneficiaries and facilitating an active and engaged food community on campus.
Team Food First realized the increasing number of students facing food insecurity on campus and wanted to create an initiative to increase food security for ۲ݮƵ students. Through their research, they pinpointed some main challenges for existing organizations tackling food insecurity in the community. This included a lack of communication between existing food initiatives and a lack of institutional memory. They also pinpointed challenges on the side of students struggling with food insecurity, which included the lack of awareness of available resources to them and the hesitancy for students to define themselves as food insecure. Their solution to these issues is the Food at ۲ݮƵ Guidebook which includes important definitions, a written history of food mobilization at ۲ݮƵ, a resource bank for potential beneficiaries and volunteers, and guides on club formation and funding. Through this guidebook the team hopes to create greater utilization of current resources, increase the amount of volunteers for food initiatives, and facilitate an active and engaged campus presence for dialogues and action regarding food security.
Green Fashion
Fellows: Harry Brar, Hanna Goh, Chloe Rozier, Kiana Tang
Impact Initiative Goal: To have a definitive reduction in textile waste in the ۲ݮƵ community.
Team Green Fashion understood the widespread consequences of textile waste and created their impact initiative to tackle this issue. Using the well-known three R’s framework (reduce, reuse, and recycle), this team created a three-pronged approach to nudge ۲ݮƵ students towards reducing their textile waste. The first component of their strategy is their Campus Clothing Drive, whereby they have already collected a total of 425.7lbs of clothing, as well as educated many students about textile waste. The second component of their initiative is an on-campus donation bin which encourages students to recycle their unwanted clothes instead of throwing them out. Their third component is Uni-Thrift ۲ݮƵ, an on-campus consignment thrift store that encourages students to buy second hand.
Tech Care (formerly Team Homelessness)
Fellows: Vincent Barsalou, Justina Cheng, Myriam Manny, Yudi Su, Yanfei (Faye) Wu
Impact Initiative Goal: To target social isolation as a means of preventing homelessness among Montreal’s senior population.
Through their research, Team Homelessness discovered the rise of homelessness that Quebec has been experiencing in recent years and wanted to target this social issue in their impact initiative. To do so, they narrowed their scope to focus specifically on leveraging community ties to prevent homelessness among seniors in Montreal. Their solution is a technology workshop that is held as an hour long, weekly in-person session. In these workshops, seniors will be taught skills on information searching, emailing, social media, and spam recognition. The outcome is equipping seniors with necessary tools for self organization, ensuring their internet safety, and forming connections among participants of the workshops.
Ô-ٱà
Fellows: Angélique Dufresne, Onora Nativ, Lise Tokam, Sofia Tomljanovic
Impact Initiative Goal: Support students that have newly immigrated to Canada through mentorship.
Team Ô-ٱà chose to target primary and secondary school students who have recently immigrated to Canada and have created an impact initiative to support such students through the big changes that immigration entails. “Welcome Classes” are a part of an already established program that helps immigrants transition into the Quebec education system. This team’s goal was to better support students in Welcome Classes by connecting current and previous Welcome Class students. This is achieved through workshops where past Welcome Class students act as mentors and share their experiences and guidance with current students.
Team Immigrant Health
Fellows: Emma Clapp, Ali Eissa, Abigail Lowe, Arno Ohlenbusch, Esteban Ronsin
Impact Initiative Goal: Increase accessibility to medical interpretation services for Montreal immigrants.
Team Immigrant Health created their impact initiative in response to the overburdened health care system in Quebec, which makes it specifically difficult for new immigrants to access due to language barriers. To minimize this inaccessibility, this team’s goal is to increase awareness of existing medical interpretation services, increase the pool of certified medical interpreters, and provide a regularly maintained and accessible interpreter database. To achieve these goals, the team piloted a media campaign targeting two groups: immigrants and potential interpreters. This campaign involved informative posters being posted across Montreal along with YouTube videos that gave necessary information on how to become a medical interpreter in Quebec. The team is also putting together an online interpreter database which will increase accessibility to immigrants in need of interpreters.
Indigenous Food Security (formely Team Indigenous)
Fellows: Emma Betty, Anne Khazzam, Lara Landauro, Johanna Lau
Impact Initiative Goal: To increase capacity for indigenous-led organizations in Montreal.
Team Indigenous initially focused on the issue of food insecurity among the Montreal Indigenous population, but quickly discovered this issue stems from poverty, homelessness, and healthcare disparities. This disproportionate vulnerability of Indigenous populations in urban areas is rooted in the historical legacy of colonialism and intergenerational trauma. After many community consultations, this team discovered that they could serve most useful in providing support for gathering funding for indigenous-led organizations. To do this, they created their Funding Management Guidebook which includes valuable information on grants, AI use, fundraising, donations, and revenue generation. Alongside this solution, they also created a grant library with important details on grants beneficial to Indigenous communities and organizations.
Eat Well Collective
Fellows: Rachelle Dong, Audrina Law-How-Hung, Talia Moses, Evelyn Nguyen, Yued Ching Stesha Ong
Impact Initiative Goal: Foster a positive shift in eating habits and mental health in the workplace.
Team Eat Well Collective chose to tackle two problems: the lack of coworker interaction in offices and frequent lunch skipping that occurs in office jobs. These two problems lead to mental health issues—due to isolation, low motivation, and burnout—and the development of unhealthy eating habits. This has an overarching effect on companies as it leads to increased turnover rates and poor performance. To make a change, this team realized there must be a change in workplace cultures. This led the team to their solution of creating personalized lunchtime events and company wide challenges to promote healthy eating and socialization. They have already had a successful pilot of their initiative whereby they held their “Board & Break” event for a company where they provided healthy snacks and boardgames to employees of a company.
Bridging STEM
Fellows: Zexuan Deng, Siddhant Deodhar, Ralph Hoyek, Miriam Mikhaeil, Guillaume Toulza
Impact Initiative Goal: Create a more supportive workplace for women in STEM by ensuring men are a part of the transition.
Through interviews with women in the workforce around the world, Team Bridging STEM discovered that gender inequality is much more drastic than they expected, especially in male dominated fields. They therefore decided to focus on facilitating the transition to a more supportive workplace for women in STEM. Using the quote “to help the minority, you have to move the majority” as a guiding principle, the team pinpointed that men must play a vital role in this transition towards equity. The solution they created is Bridging STEM, a mentorship program that connects male and female mentors that are current ۲ݮƵ STEM students with CEGEP girls that are interested in pursuing careers in STEM. Bridging STEM offers a 5 week program that covers important topics including what to expect from STEM undergraduate classes, available research opportunities, preparation for internships, and overviews of different career paths. So far they have received very positive feedback from their current 11 mentors and 22 mentees.
Team Sustainable Finance
Fellows: Micha Abbas, Aymane Fadiga, Julian Knight, Ranshuo (Lindsey) Lei, Aurora Li
Impact Initiative Goal: Increase learning opportunities in sustainable finance at ۲ݮƵ.
Through their research, Team Sustainable Finance determined that there has been a recent shift in the financial system towards sustainability. However, Canadian business schools do not prepare undergraduate students for this ۲ݮƵ financial system. In response, this team has proposed creating an experiential learning course to be added to the Desautels curriculum that focuses on sustainable investments in public equity. The course is made up of two components: a formal lecture and a final stock pitch presentation, with best pitches to be presented to the ۲ݮƵ Office of Investments. They have also created a workshop targeted towards non-management students which provides an introduction to sustainable finance along with a speaker panel. They have already hosted a successful pilot workshop, and received valuable feedback from participants to help in the planning of future workshops.
Team Transportation
Fellows: Wilson Chen, Yajun Hui, Ruo-Ying Qi, Chloe You
Impact Initiative Goal: Increase carpooling among ۲ݮƵ students.
Team Transportation realized that ۲ݮƵ students who live far from campus have difficulty accessing sustainable transport to campus. Many of such students travel alone by car which leaves them with extra, unused capacity in their cars while making their commutes to school. This team determined that carpooling is a solution to this current issue and have partnered with ۲ݮƵ Rideshare, a carpooling app exclusive to ۲ݮƵ students, to promote sustainable transportation. They identified two main problems the platform currently faces: a lack of student awareness and low retention rates. To increase the amount of students carpooling to campus, the team plans to offer incentives to students including parking rebates, promoting the splitting of fuel prices among carpoolers, and point and reward systems.