The Annual Doctoral Workshop fosters interaction among leading faculty scholars and doctoral students on research and preparing for a professional career in academia. The doctoral student participants will broaden their academic network with faculty from around the world and develop a better understanding of the particularities of the academic career. The workshop is highly interactive and will include a variety of panels and practical sessions on developing dissertation proposals and launching academic careers, as well as a meet-the-editors session. The 2026 Annual Doctoral Workshop will be held in-person on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the SMS Annual Conference.

This workshop is intended for students that have completed the initial comprehensive examination and coursework (or equivalent) of their doctoral program but are not yet on the job market.

SMS is proud to offer 25 scholarships to be awarded to selected participants in our pre-eminent doctoral workshop. These scholarships will be offered to applicants from the competitive review of student nominations and will cover registration fees for the SMS Annual Conference.

The 2026 Annual Doctoral Workshop Co-Directors are Frank T. Rothaermel, Georgia Institute of Technology and Daphne Yiu, Singapore Management University.

 

Frank T. Rothaermel is a Regents’ Professor, the highest academic rank bestowed by the University System of Georgia, and the Russell and Nancy McDonough Chair at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Scheller College of Business. A leading scholar on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship, he is an Alfred P. Sloan Industry Studies Fellow and a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Cited 28,000 times (Google Scholar), Frank is ranked in the top 0.5% of business and management scholars worldwide by ScholarGPS and is listed among the world’s most influential scientific minds by Thomson Reuters. His research appears in the field’s premier outlets, including the Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, and Academy of Management Journal/Review. Frank is the author of Strategic Management (McGraw Hill), the #1 strategy textbook in the United States, and has authored 70 case studies, including 34 bestsellers per Harvard Business Impact. He is also the recipient of the Strategic Management Society Educational Impact Award, the Academy of Management’s STR Outstanding Educator Award, and Georgia Tech’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award. He holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the University of Washington, an MBA from Brigham Young University, and a Diplom-Volkswirt in Economics from the University of Duisburg-Essen.

 

Professor Daphne W. Yiu is Lee Kong Chian Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Singapore Management University. Before joining SMU, she held the Rath Chair in Strategic Management at the University of Oklahoma. Her scholarly pursuit focuses on how organizations navigate institutionalization and internationalization processes, with current inquiry centering on socio-cognitive and affective institutions, strategic entrepreneurship, and global grand challenges, with a strong emphasis on Asia. Her work has been widely published in leading outlets such as the Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Journal of Operations Management, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, among others. Her research has received best paper awards, top download recognitions, wide citation, and diverse impact. She was elected Fellow and President of the Asia Academy of Management and Representative-at-Large at the Global Strategy Interest Group of the Strategic Management Society. Currently, she is an Area Editor at the Journal of International Business Studies and has previously served as Associate Editor of the Academy of Management Journal, Senior Editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Editor of Corporate Governance: An International Review, and Senior Editor at the Journal of World Business. She has chaired department, directed research centers, organized major international conferences, and appointed as a Council Member of Hong Kong Research Grants Council. Her academic family reaches across continents, with footprint and legacy enduring as a source of inspirations for generations ahead.

 

Nomination & Application Guidelines

All nominations must include all of the materials listed below and should be submitted online to the conference website by June 19, 2026. To apply, please upload one (1) PDF document through the online submission system.

Application materials should include:

  • Nomination/recommendation letter from a faculty member from the students PhD granting institution (with contact information)
  • A one-page summary of the applicant’s career to date
  • A description of the applicant’s research interests, not to exceed 300 words

Other things being equal, preference will be given to nominees who:

  • Are current members of the SMS
  • Are nominated by a current member of the SMS

As an international organization with a widely distributed membership, we aim for the workshop attendee composition to reflect this international representation.

A maximum of two participants will be accepted per institution, with no more than one scholarship granted per institution. Scholarship decisions will consider applicants’ stated financial need. This indication is used solely for scholarship consideration and will not affect participant selection.

 

Submission Instructions

We request that submissions be completed by EITHER the Student OR the Faculty Member. Depending on your role, please follow these instructions:

For Students:

Please compile all three (3) application pieces into one (1) PDF file. When you are ready to submit, visit the online submission portal. You will indicate that you are submitting an application as a student.

For Faculty Members:

Please compile all three (3) application pieces into one (1) PDF file. When you are ready to submit, visit the online submission portal.  You should indicate that you are a “Faculty Member nominating a student”, and be prepared to enter basic student information into the required fields.