Current Students

Ali Coates is a PhD student in Management, with a Health Systems specialization. Her work focuses on community assets and engagement in rural health systems planning. She is a recipient of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program Doctoral Scholarships (CGS-D) by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Ali holds a BSc (Honours) degree from Mount Allison University, an MBA in Healthcare Management and an MS in Healthcare Data Analytics from Clarkson University and has held a variety of healthcare leadership roles during her career. Ali began working in the field of clinical research and eventually led the founding and early growth phases of a successful imaging core laboratory. Following a family move to the rural North Country region of New York, Ali led the establishment of a new clinical research program within St. Lawrence Health System. She was the Assistant Vice President of Physician Relations at Adirondack Health before being began at Telfer School of Management. While completing her MBA and MS degrees, Ali chose to focus on the rural context to understand how core management principles apply in rural health systems. 

Ali's PhD research will examine how rural hospitals meet the IRS and New York State requirements for Community Health Needs Assessments, especially the mandates to identify community assets and include community contributions to the planning process. She will seek to uncover how state-level priorities and mandates shape local health system planning in rural areas and will determine the degree of alignment of the health plan with the community’s needs. 

Amlan is a fourth-year doctoral student, who is pursuing research in Family Business & Entrepreneurship. Prior to joining the doctoral program, he obtained an MSc in Management with a focus on family business from Telfer School of Management. His doctoral research primarily focuses on issues related to management, compensation structure, and organizational outcomes in family business.

Amlan is a trained economist and has earned his PhD in Economics from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, University of Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He also holds a MA Degree in Applied Economics from University of Cincinnati.

Ben Aryana is a PhD student at the Telfer School of Management, specializing in finance under the supervision of Dr. Miwako Nitani. His research interests include quantitative behavioral finance, private equity, venture capital, valuation, and investment management.

Before joining Telfer, Ben obtained his BSc in Civil Engineering at Shiraz University during which he honed his skills in quantitative concepts and modeling. During his undergraduate degree, he also designed a production method for Light Transmitting Concrete and gained experience in building construction. Ben subsequently completed a research-based MBA at the University of Tehran and started to work as a stock trader in the second year of his master studies. His masters thesis focused on wide-herding in stock markets.

During his spare time, Ben enjoys working out, boxing, swimming, and watching movies.

Carolina Jiménez Peña is a PhD student in the Strategy and Organization specialization under the supervision of Dr. Madeline Toubiana. Her main interest is to understand: how do institutions and organizations contribute to a more sustainable future? She believes that institutions and organizations have an enormous responsibility and power to create both social and environmental change, and she is interested in understanding the role of emotions and values in these dynamics. 

Carolina has more than 10 years of experience in the corporate world through the development of business strategies centered in the promotion of sustainable products. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Los Andes University in Colombia and a master’s degree in engineering management from La Sabana University in Colombia. In her master’s thesis she applied system dynamics to the analysis of the environmental problem of accumulating single-use plastics in landfills and proposed a business model to transform the plastic bottle into one made of a compostable and biobased plastic.

Carolina is a mom and a wife. She loves animals and is a vegan and she love spending time with her daughter, moving her body, and eating good food while sharing with her family.

Chen Li is a second-year Ph.D. student at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa with a specialization in Finance under the supervision of Professor Shantanu Dutta. His research interests include credit rating, risk management, insider trading and data mining.

He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics in 2016, majoring in Quantitative Economics. He obtained his master’s degree from Northwest A&F University in 2020 in China, with a specialization in Finance. During his master’s study in the field of credit rating, he explored several machine learning models with hyperparameter optimization in default prediction. He participated in the 16th National Post-Graduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling in China and won the 2nd prize in 2019. Now, he is also a certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM).

Danielle Cruise is a PhD student in Management, with a specialization in Health Systems. Under the supervision of Dr. Mirou Jaana, she is interested in exploring technology innovations in long-term care homes and how they can be used to support the work of healthcare professionals and to improve the quality of life of residents. Danielle is a recipient of the 2024-2025 Ontario Graduate Scholarship.  

In her previous studies, Danielle obtained an Honours Bachelor of Public Health degree from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Science in Health Systems from the Telfer School of Management. Her master’s thesis explored the factors that managers consider to inform their decision to adopt health information technology in long-term care homes.

Danielle has presented her work at several conferences including the Canadian Association on Gerontology, the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research, and the AGE-WELL Annual Conference, among others. She was also a finalist in the SSHRC Storytellers Competition, where she communicated the impacts and relevance of her research in a 300-word infographic. Danielle will be attending the 2024 CIHR Summer Program in Aging, held in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Outside of academia, Danielle loves cooking and baking. She also loves spending time with her family and friends and enjoys bike rides during the summer.

Elizabeth is a PhD Candidate in Management, in the Entrepreneurship specialization, under the supervision of Dr. Peter Jaskiewicz. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of King’s College and a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Dalhousie University. Within the Entrepreneurship specialization, Elizabeth focuses on transgenerational entrepreneurship and family business. Specifically, her research explores the impact of mental health not only in terms of the functioning of the business family, but also on the health and vitality of the family business.

Fatemeh Anbarloo is a doctoral student at Telfer who is specializing in accounting and control under the supervision of Professors TieMei Li and Wenxia Ge. Her research focuses on corporate governance, corporate social responsibility (CSR), climate risk disclosure, and financial accounting quality. She has worked on several projects related to auditing and corporate governance, which have informed her current interests. She holds a master’s degree in finance from Azad University of Zanjan and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Alzahra University of Tehran. Her master’s thesis focused on how ownership concentration affects the extent of earnings management and its influence on the issuance of modified audit opinions, as well as the decision to switch auditors in Iranian companies.

In her free time, she enjoys exploring nature with her husband and is passionate about learning new languages and cultures.

Ghazale is a PhD candidate in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior (HR/OB) at Telfer School of Management working under the supervision of Dr. A.J Corner and Dr. Laurent Lapierre. She is interested in examining the positive and dark sides of workplace relationships and investigating how these aspects influence both individual and teams’ wellbeing.

Before joining to Telfer, she completed her Master of Science in Business Administration at the Amir Kabir University of Technology, and she got her B.A in Industrial Engineering at the Khaje-Nasir University of Technology in Iran.

She has various studies on teams’ motivation, leader-member exchange, the dark side of mentoring and so on. Before starting her PhD, she worked as teams’ mentors at the Amir Kabir University innovation lab. Due to her interest in research, she voluntarily joined the Iran Immigration Observatory as the research assistant to study interpersonal relations’ issues for professional immigrants in host countries.

By studying her PhD and doing cutting-edge research, she hopes to help employees be happier at work. She is proud of having a supportive supervisor, an encouraging husband, and a caring family who help her achieve her dreams.

Guilda Akbari is a PhD candidate at the Telfer School of Management specializing in finance, under the supervision of Dr. Fabio Moneta and Dr. Adelphe Ekponon. Her current research focuses on asset pricing, risk management and financial modelling.

Before joining Telfer, Guilda earned an MSc in industrial engineering, focusing on financial systems, from the University of Tehran, Iran, in 2018. Her research examined portfolio optimization and risk management.

Guilda worked as a financial engineering expert at an investment bank in Iran, which also involved performing research in this field. She has experience working with fixed income financial instruments and was involved in issuing bonds for Iranian companies on the Tehran Stock Exchange and money markets.

Khandoker Asef Safa Kabir Upal is a doctoral candidate in organizational behaviour and human resources management (OBHRM) at Telfer working under the supervision of Professors Lance Ferris and Qian Zhang. His research interests include strategic approaches in remote work, employee attitudes and relationships in remote work settings, ethical and sustainable OBHRM, and human-technology interactions in OBHRM.

Before starting his PhD program at Telfer, he completed a master’s degree in management and organizational innovation with distinction at the School of Business and Management of Queen Mary, University of London, U.K. He received the highest mark in his master’s program, and third highest across seven MSc programs. Prior to graduate studies, he completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the School of Business of North South University in Bangladesh, where he was awarded ‘summa cum laude’ for his outstanding academic performance.

He has significant teaching experience in Canada and South Asia. From 2014 to 2018, he was a lecturer in the Department of Management of the School of Business and Economics of North South University, Bangladesh. From 2018 to 2023, he was a high-school business instructor teaching the OSSD curriculum in Toronto, Canada. He has also developed several online courses on Moodle-based platforms in Ontario, Canada.

He has some industry experience, having worked for a bank, an NGO and a consulting firm. In 2017, he presented a research paper at an international corporate social responsibility conference that was later published as a book chapter by the Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), India. He has also published articles on various socioeconomic and political issues as a freelance columnist. His international academic and industry experience has provided him with both theoretical and practical insights into research.

Léa Dugal is a PhD student in Management, in the Accounting and Control specialization. She holds a BBA and a M.Sc. degree in professional accounting from HEC Montréal.

She holds a CPA auditor, CA designation from the Order of Chartered Professional Accountants of Quebec. Before beginning her academic career, she was an auditor and an accounting advisory consultant in an accounting firm.

Léa also has extensive teaching experience. She taught various accounting courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. She is also involved in the correction of the CPA professional exam. Her research interests include accounting standard-setting and the accounting profession.

I am a PhD student at the Telfer School of Management. I am studying in the Accounting and Control stream under the supervision of Professor Cheryl Susan McWatters.

I attended a “2+2” undergraduate program, which allowed me to spend the first two years at Xiamen University and the last two years at the University of Waterloo. I obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics from both schools. I then studied at the University of British Columbia and obtained my master’s degree in economics. After graduating from the MA program, I worked as an RA at Simon Fraser University, and subsequently became an accounting PhD student at Telfer.

My current research focuses on the impairment of goodwill and intangible assets. The measurement of goodwill and intangible assets has been an important but thorny issue for several decades. It becomes particularly acute in recent decades because intangible assets are becoming a major source of business value creation, yet the measurement is not reasonably reliable. Such conflict could potentially affect the efficiency of the capital market. I never think that I can solve the entire problem. However, my research is expected to enhance our understanding of how firms treat these assets.

In my spare time, I play saxophone as a way of relaxing. I am intrigued by, and keep practising, a wide range of musical genres, including classical, jazz and pop. Playing music has much helped me relieve stress from the intensive research life.

For more information, please see my personal website.

Lizhi is a PhD candidate at the Telfer School of Management with a specialization in accounting. She received a Bachelor of Economics from the Northeastern University in China followed by a master’s degree in economics from the Central South University.

Prior to applying for the doctoral program, Lizhi became a member of the CICPA (Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants) and passed her level one CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) exam. The theories and skills she learned in economics helped improve her understanding of accounting issues.

In the past five years, Lizhi worked as an auditor where she developed her professional expertise through annual audit and IPO programs, including China state-owned enterprises, multinational corporations, and private companies.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, participating in outdoor activities with her baby and spending time with her friends.

Manal is a PhD candidate in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management (OBHR) at Telfer School of Management working under the supervision of Jane O’Reilly and A.J. Corner. Manal is interested in workplace relationships, including the precedents and outcomes of strong leader-follower interactions. 

Before joining Telfer, she completed her Master of Science in Organizational Psychology through the University of London, UK. Her dissertation titled “When your leader is darker” won top prize for her year. Manal’s Bachelor of Science degree was awarded by the American University of Beirut in Mathematics, and in between she completed the IBM Professional Certificate in Data Science which proved helpful for data analysis and visualization at the graduate level. 

Manal has over fifteen years of work experience in multinational organizations out of which over 7 years were in a leadership capacity. Her most recent employee survey results exceeded her colleagues' and superiors' results, and reflected her passion for leadership. This success sparked her interest in leadership theories and research within Organizational Behaviour.

On a personal front, Manal goes on long walks with her dog and enjoys sports including swimming, hiking, and basketball.

Maryam Mahmoudi is a Ph.D. student in management specializing in strategy and organization. Under the supervision of Dr. Jose-Carlos Marques and Dr. Daina Mazutis, she is conducting research on the intersection of strategic management and sustainability.

Maryam earned a master’s in industrial engineering with a specialization in systems optimization from the Isfahan University of Technology (IUT). Before that, she completed a bachelor’s in industrial engineering at IUT.

During her master’s research, Maryam studied green innovation in developing countries. Additionally, she was a research assistant at the Business Administration Lab at IUT. She participated in different projects in the lab and has published in the International Journal of Innovation Management. She was also a teaching assistant in different courses during her studies.

As a PhD student, Maryam wishes to continue making significant contributions to the field of management and creating a greener and more prosperous world for all.

Maryam Vahabi is a PhD student in management specializing in health systems at the Telfer School of Management. Under the guidance of Dr. Christopher Sun and Dr. Rafid Mahmood, she is conducting research focused on applying machine learning methods to the field of health systems. Maryam earned a master’s in industrial engineering with a specialization in systems optimization from the Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST). Prior to that, she completed a bachelor’s in industrial engineering at IUST. 

In previous research, Maryam used machine learning methods to predict the risk of death in COVID-19 patients. Additionally, she collaborated with a research institution to conduct a comprehensive survey on the quality of life among cancer patients. 

In joining the Telfer School of Management, Maryam wishes to continue making significant contributions as a researcher. Her ultimate goal is to enhance the well-being and satisfaction of patients throughout their illness. 

Meg Schwellnus O’Brien is a doctoral student in the management program at Telfer, specializing in health systems under Professors Samia Chreim and François Durand. Her work focuses on the implementation of environmentally sustainable initiatives in hospitals, and how management can support these initiatives to ensure long-term success. 

Prior to joining the PhD program, Meg worked in health research for five years in a variety of roles. She holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial design, a bachelor’s degree in biology, and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering.

Meraj is a PhD candidate in Management at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa. He is studying entrepreneurship under the supervision of Dr. Wadid Lamine. His research interest revolves around establishing a systematic view of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Particularly, he is interested in exploring the role of entrepreneurial support organizations in entrepreneurial ecosystems. He is also interested in implementing new methodologies like computational simulation to capture non-linear and evolving relationships in entrepreneurship studies.

Meraj holds a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran and an MBA from Khajeh-Nasir University, Tehran. He also has experience working in the energy sector and consulting firms in Iran. Parallel to his studies, he also has seven years of experience in the education sector as a teacher and event executive.

Outside of school, Meraj enjoys hiking, swimming, playing music, and traveling. He also likes exploring new cultures, their foods and music, and spending time with friends.

Mian is a Ph.D. candidate at Telfer School of Management with a focus on finance. He is studying under the supervision of Dr. Ali Akyol. Mian’s current research interest lies in corporate governance.

Mian has a combined background. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2014 from Xian Jiaotong University (China). In 2016 Mian got his master’s degree in Finance from Tulane University (Louisiana, USA). After graduating from Tulane University, he worked in a provincial venture capital firm in China a year and half, and then entered Telfer School of Management in 2018.

After entering Telfer, Mian has worked as research assistant with Telfer faculty members in several projects. Mian also works as teaching assistant for several classes, including third-year undergraduate Corporate Finance and forth-year undergraduate Equity Valuation.

Mikaila Ortynsky is a PhD candidate in the Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources specialization, under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Dimoff. Her research focuses on worker well-being, women’s health and gender in leadership. Mikaila is an Ontario Women’s Health Scholar (2024–25) and holds a SSHRC doctoral fellowship (2022–2026).

Mikaila received an MSc in management (specializing in organizational behaviour) in 2022 from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Bachelor of Commerce (honours) in human resources from the University of Saskatchewan in 2020.

Mikaila is highly involved in the Telfer PhD program. She is a recipient of the PhD Engagement award (2024) and won the Telfer Thesis Oral Competition (2023). Beyond Telfer, she is an organizing committee member for the Academy of Management’s New Doctoral Student Consortium.

Mikaila has published in two peer-reviewed journals and has disseminated her research through practitioner outlets. She has presented her research at numerous conferences, including the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, the Canadian Psychological Association annual convention, the European Academy of Management, and the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada conference.

Outside of her studies, Mikaila stays active with long bike rides, running, and fitness classes. She loves to discuss Ottawa cafes and restaurants, as well as Taylor Swift’s music.

Mina Jahani is a PhD student specializing in entrepreneurship, supervised by Professor Sandra Schillo. Her research explores how entrepreneurship can improve quality of life, particularly for marginalized groups. She is interested in studying how lasting and meaningful systemic changes in society can be made through entrepreneurship from a macro perspective.

Mina holds an MBA from the University of Tehran and a bachelor’s in industrial engineering from Sharif University of Technology (Iran). Before her PhD studies, Mina worked in marketing for seven years.

Outside of academia, Mina loves to spend time with her husband and their two cats. She also enjoys drawing, watching documentaries, doing yoga and, occasionally, daydreaming about life beyond Earth.

Mohammed is a PhD student at the Telfer School of Management. He is studying in the Accounting and Control stream under the supervision of Professor Cheryl Susan M^cWatters. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Yarmouk University (Jordan) with a major specialization in Finance and a minor in Accounting. He completed his first MSc (Accounting) at Yarmouk University in 2005. His first MSc thesis focuses on the performance of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) in Jordanian industrial listed firms. 

Mohammed completed his second MSc -Finance (2019) at Telfer under the supervision of Professor Cheryl Susan M^cWatters. His MSc thesis focuses on the relationship between Corporate Governance and Earnings Management. 

Before joining Telfer, Mohammed’s main work experience was in banking (Dubai Islamic Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank) in the brokerage department as a Stockbroker in both Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange and Dubai Financial Market. Mohammed’s other experiences include accounting instructor, research assistant, and teaching assistant.

Mohammed’s current research interest is Integrated Reporting (IR) and Corporate Governance.

Nicole Noseworthy is a doctoral student in organizational behaviour and human resources at Telfer under the supervision of Professor Jane O’Reilly. Nicole’s research interests include gender, women in leadership, and workplace relationships. Her research currently focuses on how sexism affects women’s career advancement, leadership opportunities, and workplace relationships.

Nicole completed both her MBA and bachelor’s degree in commerce (co-op option) at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has close to four years of professional experience in small business and commercial banking.

Outside of academia, Nicole enjoys taking ballet classes, painting, and playing Sudoku.

Nima Afsharhajari is a PhD student at the Telfer School of Management specializing in finance, under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Yu-Meng Li. His research focuses on the synthesis of finance and machine learning. Nima holds a BSc in electrical engineering from Sharif University of Technology and a MSc in economics from Iran University of Science and Technology. His MSc thesis examined the predictive power of LSTM-based networks regarding the Iranian stock market. Nima also has extensive teaching experience. He has been a teaching assistant for many machine learning courses and has conducted multiple machine learning workshops. 

Outside of academia, Nima is a passionate boxer and enjoys weightlifting, bouldering, and exploring nature.

Patil Yessayan is a PhD student in organizational behaviour and human resource management (OBHR) at the University of Ottawa, under the supervision of Professor Charlotte Karam. Her research interests include work-family and family-work guilt, inclusive HR systems, and employee work experiences.

Patil has extensive experience in program management within the higher education and non-profit sectors. She has led programs focused on education, leadership, social impact, capacity building, human capital development, and diversity and inclusion. In particular, she managed two prominent scholarship programs in Lebanon that supported university students from various countries. Her prior experience also includes designing and implementing youth empowerment programs, initiating grassroots efforts, managing relief campaigns, and organizing cultural and sports events.

In her free time, Patil enjoys engaging in community leadership activities, volunteering with various organizations, and working on creative projects. She is passionate about travelling, visiting museums, Armenian poetry, discovering new music, and learning languages.

Qingyi Zhu is a doctoral student specializing in strategy and organization under the supervision of Professors Madeline Toubiana and Mayur Joshi. She has a strong passion for researching how institutions and social actors empower women. To enrich people’s understandings of diversity, equity and inclusion, she is working on topics such as sports management and inter-organizational cooperation as seen through a gender lens.

Qingyi has extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. She worked in the financial industry and enterprise resource planning software industry in China for several years. She also has a wealth of experience working and researching at the United Nations. Qingyi obtained her two master’s degrees from Columbia University and New York University in the United States. Before that, she received her bachelor’s degree from Sun Yat-Sen University in China.

She is an oil painter, soccer lover, and museum goer.

Ritu is a PhD student in Management in the Entrepreneurship specialization under the supervision of Professor Peter Jaskiewicz. Her research interests lie at the intersection of social networks and governance within the family business context. Particularly, she is interested in exploring the role of family firms’ board networks in shaping different family firm outcomes.

She holds a MSc in Management from the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal. Her master's thesis explored Multipartner Alliances in the airline industry with the purpose of better understanding the process of airline entry into multipartner alliances, development of mutipartner network structure, and airline industry network structure overtime. In collaboration with Dr. Kai Lamertz and Dr. Rahul Ravi, Ritu presented her master's research at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) 2017. Her research paper won the Honorable Mention Award. During her time at Concordia, Ritu worked as a research assistant with various professors and had an opportunity to work on numerous research projects ranging from entrepreneurship, family business, social networks, and corporate social responsibility. In addition, she worked as a teaching assistant in the management department for various undergraduate courses.

Following the completion of her MSc, she worked as a Market Research Analyst at Honda Canada where she had the opportunity to design customer surveys and work on numerous customer satisfaction research projects aimed at identifying the key factors affecting the customer sale and service satisfaction. Along with her team-mates, she frequently briefed the president and senior executives at Honda on the research findings.

In her spare time, she enjoys hot yoga and playing with her daughter.

Rong Jin is a PhD student at the Telfer School of Management. She is specializing in finance and is under the supervision of Professor Ali Akyol. Her research interests focus particularly on sustainable finance and corporate governance.

Rong Jin earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southeast University in Nanjing, China. Her professional experience includes multiple roles in banking and asset management in China, where she garnered valuable, hands-on experience. Later, Rong pursued a dual master’s degree in finance and accounting at Seattle University. During her time there, she served as the graduate assistant at the Center for Business Ethics and worked as a portfolio manager for the student-run endowment. These experiences further fueled her passion for research on sustainable finance and corporate governance.

In her free time, Rong enjoys reading, listening to music, watching tennis and spending time with her family.

Sahar Shabani is a PhD candidate in finance at the Telfer School of Management. She is currently working with Professor Ali Akyol and Professor François-Éric Racicot, focusing her research on corporate finance. With a background in industrial engineering, her goal is to blend her interdisciplinary expertise with finance, particularly in the context of CEOs.

Sahar obtained her BSc and MSc in industrial engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic) in Iran. Her master’s degree research primarily centered on financial engineering and optimization. Additionally, she gained three years of valuable experience as an analyst in the trading department of Kerman Motor Company in Iran. Her background in both industrial engineering and financial systems motivated her to pursue further studies in finance.

Outside her academic pursuits, Sahar is an active person who enjoys working out, biking, running, and stand-up paddleboarding. She’s always eager to explore new sports and continue her learning journey.

Sajjad Adelipour is a PhD student at the Telfer School of Management specializing in health systems, under the supervision of Dr. Antoine Sauré. His research focuses on optimization and simulation modelling as applied to health-care systems, supply chain management, and transportation systems.

Sajjad holds an MSc in industrial engineering and a BSc in chemical engineering, both from Sharif University of Technology, Iran. During his master’s studies, he served as a teaching assistant for probability theory and simulation languages courses in the Department of Industrial Engineering. His master’s thesis focused on resilience-oriented optimization of power networks with renewable sources. He also has practical experience in implementing optimization techniques for production and sales route planning in the fast-moving consumer goods industry.

As a PhD student, he aims to apply his expertise in mathematical modelling and optimization to analyze heath-care systems so as to improve service delivery.

Sara is a PhD student at Telfer School of Management. Her research focuses on how optimization and data analysis can be used to inform policy and make health-care systems more productive, while allowing them to serve more people and to offer a pleasant experience for stakeholders, including patients and providers.

She holds an MSc in industrial engineering from Sharif University of Technology (SUT) and a BSc in industrial engineering from the University of Tehran. Prior to joining Telfer, Sara worked as a BPMS engineer at Gam Electronics Co. and a teaching assistant at SUT. She has worked as a teaching assistant at Telfer since fall 2021.

Sara was awarded a PhD graduate scholarship (2021–2025).

Shahin Basiratzadeh is a Ph.D. student at the Telfer School of Management. He is studying Management, specializing in Health Systems under the supervision of Professors Wojtek Michalowski, Herna Viktor, and Natalie Baddour. He is a member of the Mobile Emergency Triage (MET) Research Laboratory at the University of Ottawa, and a Research Assistant at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Ajman University in Ajman, UAE, in 2014, and completed his Master's Degree in Engineering Management from Alghurair University in Dubai, UAE, in 2018. He achieved the title of Head of Class of Graduates in 2014 and 2018. Shahin completed a second Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Ottawa.

Shahin's current interest is a field that blends management and data-driven solutions. His research interests include the application of machine learning and Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) in decision analysis, medical decision making, and clinical decision support systems.

His contributions have received several global and local recognitions, including:

• Awarded as world-class educational innovators and the winner of the QS Reimagine Education Awards, known as The Oscars of Education, Regional Awards category for developing and implementation of AI-based solution for blind people to reshape their education using a smartphone and smart eyeglasses, 2019
• 1st Prize in a real government business case from the Canadian Space Agency | Agence Spatiale Canadienne and being top 5 among 84 teams at Candev competition for the AI-based solution to forecast Aurora phenomenon, 2018 
• 1^st Prize for Entrepreneurial pitch and business model for the healthcare mobile-based application "Sweet Touch", 2018
• 1^st Prize in The Global Innovation Summit, Education category, Inclusive education using assistive technology, UAE, 2015
• 1^st Prize in Senior Design Competition, IEEE UAE Student Day 2014 Design & Implementation of UAV for use by Ajman Civil Defense, U.A.E
• Winner of Microsoft Imagine Cup (Innovation Category), UAE, 2014

He has worked on numerous projects centred on developing practical solutions to health issues. Most of his projects, such as a mobile application for posture measurement using augmented reality (AR), a non-invasive technique that can be used for measuring sugar levels, translating speech to sign language for the hearing impaired, a smart home for elderly, self-indicator and self-finder using a drone was designed to ease lives.

Shahryar Moradi started his PhD in management, specializing in health systems, at Telfer in 2021. His research is co-supervised by Dr. Jonathan Patrick and Dr. Antoine Sauré. Prior to joining Telfer, Shahryar received an MSc in industrial engineering from Sharif University of Technology (Iran). He also completed a BSc in industrial engineering at the University of Tehran in 2018. 

During his master’s, Shahryar contributed to several health care-related projects, covering elective surgery sequencing, patient appointment scheduling for radiotherapy centres, outpatient clinic operations management, and health-care data analytics. He applied his research findings, including those from his MSc thesis, in a real-world environment at Milad hospital, in Tehran. 

Shahryar has a strong background in operations research and statistics. His research is mostly concentrated on using optimization methods, such as MDP modelling, stochastic programming, and data-driven optimization, to address problems where there is a high level of uncertainty.

While pursuing his PhD, Shahryar works as a teaching and research assistant at Telfer. He conducts research on developing models and solving real-world problems related to both the health-care sector and supply chain resilience, through a combination of data analytics and optimization approaches. In 2023, Shahryar received a prestigious Operations Research diploma from the Canadian Operational Research Society. 

Shaila Nusrat Aurin is a PhD student specializing in finance at the Telfer School of Management under the supervision of professors Miwako Nitani and Shantanu Dutta. Her research focuses on the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate governance on firm value.
Prior to her admission to the PhD program, she completed an MSc in management at Telfer with a concentration in finance. Her master’s thesis, which was entitled “Investigating the behavioral aspects of stock market reactions to various social and environmental events”, was nominated for an award for best master’s thesis in 2021. She also holds an MBA with a major in finance and an undergraduate degree in business administration from the most prestigious business school in Bangladesh.
Aurin has been a teaching assistant for several undergraduate finance and accounting courses at Telfer, including fourth-year (Finance, Ethics and Social Responsibility), third-year (Corporate Finance and Fixed Income Investments), and second-year (Financial Management and Managerial Accounting) courses. She has worked as a policy research intern at the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO) and at the C.D. Howe Institute. She has also served as a research assistant for a SSHRC Insight-grant funded research program that studies the link between financing availability and subsequent growth of small-to- medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Aurin has recently served two terms as vice-president of the Telfer Graduate Research Programs Student Association (TGRPSA). She holds a Telfer admission scholarship.

Shaista Karim Sadrudin Jaffer is a PhD Student in Management, specializing in Finance, at the Telfer School of Management. Her research interests are at the intersection of corporate finance, financial economics, health economics and FinTech. She is currently studying under the supervision of Prof. Qianru Qi.

Shaista holds a Master of Science in Finance from Telfer, during which she studied the hedging behaviour of Bitcoin during COVID-19. She also has a Master of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor’s in a Joint Honours in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Ottawa. Prior to joining Telfer, Shaista worked as a Business Development and Strategy Manager for HealthSign, a medical device company looking to provide virtual care solutions for the elderly. She also works in collaboration at the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. Shaista is the founder of All Seasons Indian Catering, Tree of Africa Foods Inc. and SKJ Superior Solutions Ltd, three family businesses established in Ottawa.

Shamim Ahmed is a doctoral student specializing in strategy and organization under the supervision of Professors Ana Maria Peredo and Suhaib Riaz. He is passionate about building a research agenda at the intersection of strategic management, sustainability, degrowth, and the major challenges of poverty and inequality. His current research focuses on exploring alternative strategies for alleviating poverty and reducing inequality.

Shamim is also deeply committed to being a faculty member. Before joining the Telfer School of Management, he taught strategic management for over five years at BRAC Business School, BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He holds both an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from BRAC University. He aspires to become a successful researcher and academic as he pursues his PhD.

Shirin is a PhD student in Management, specializing in the field of Entrepreneurship under the supervision of Dr. Wadid Lamine. She holds an M.Sc. with honors in Industrial Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran.  Prior to joining the Ph.D. Program at Telfer School of Management, she gained hands-on experience in the entrepreneurship ecosystem and cooperated with several technology-based startups in her capacity as a market research analyst at an Innovation and Technology Management Co. in Iran. She has previously authored and co-authored papers in the Journals of Futures, Cleaner Production, Sustainable Production and Consumption, and Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Currently, her research interests include digital entrepreneurship and business model innovation. She hopes that her Ph.D. journey ultimately leads to contributions to both theory and practice in the field of entrepreneurship.

Sneha is a Ph.D. candidate at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. She is specializing in Entrepreneurship under the supervision of Dr. Evelyn Micelotta. Her research is at the intersection of entrepreneurship and social progress in society. She focuses on topics within the Social Entrepreneurial research domain.  Sneha comes from a family of entrepreneurs and has academic and professional experience in entrepreneurship and business management. She started her own venture during her final semester while pursuing her Master's program at Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is aspiring to spend her career in academia while pursuing her venture in India. 

Sneha is a SHARE Fellow, enjoys scuba diving and spending time in her hometown in a quaint village in India where she teaches the English language to kids and adults from the tribal regions. 

Trang Pham-Lam is a PhD student at Telfer School of Management where she works under the supervision of Dr. Hien Thu Tran and Dr. Mark Freel. Trang's research interests focus on innovation, absorptive capacity of organizations, and knowledge management.

Trang holds a master's degree in Investment Analysis from Aston University and a bachelor's degree in International Business from Jyvaskyla University of Applied Sciences. Her master's thesis investigates stock price analysis of UK firms.

Prior to her PhD program at Telfer, Trang worked as a lecturer of Business Ethics and Cross-cultural Communication courses at National Economic University, Vietnam. She has taken part in multiple consulting projects for SMEs as well as conglomerates.

Vu is a PhD student at the Telfer School of Management at University of Ottawa with specialization in Entrepreneurship. Vu co-authored the article “Does Financial Integration Matter for Financial Development? Evidence from the East Asian and Pacific Region” that involves the impact of financial integration on financial development.

He holds a Master degree of Science in Finance at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, which he completed under the funding from Manchester Business School in 2014. Vu graduated with distinction as the best student in his cohort. His master’s final thesis focused on the relationship between exchange rates and macroeconomic fundamentals and whether exchange rates could be employed as one of the indicators in predicting macroeconomic factors such as interest rates, inflation, money supply and gross domestic product. Completing all necessary ACCA modules, Vu is expected to become the official member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the UK in 2022.

Vu’s professional profile includes experience as an audit assistant at KPMG. He also had the opportunity to work as an assistant to the Chairman at Vietnam Lottery Company in which he was responsible for the optimization of the financial resources and investment of the whole organization including 50 branches scattered across 62 provinces in Vietnam. In 2017, he became the business faculty members at National Economics University, one of the leading universities in business and economics in Vietnam.

Vu is entertained by personal computer games in his free time. If it were not for an academic career, he would like to become a professional footballer.

Weiwen Lin is a doctoral student at the Telfer School of Management specializing in entrepreneurship under the supervision of Professor Saouré Kouamé. His research interests focus on topics that stem from connections between AI, emotions, and entrepreneurship.

Weiwen earned a bachelor’s degree in automation engineering from Changchun University of Science and Technology in China and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Ottawa. After a nine-year entrepreneurial career in advertising and e-commerce, he returned to school and earned a second master’s degree in management at the University of Ottawa.

In his free time, Weiwen enjoys watching soccer games and spending time with his family.

Wrenford Thaffe is a P.h.D student in Entrepreneurship at University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management. He works with supervisor Dr. Ajax Persaud on research related to innovation and entrepreneurship. His current areas of interest include organizational legitimacy, fintech, and financial inclusion in developing countries. Wrenford’s approach to management research is fueled by a multidisciplinary academic background and a diverse set of interests.

Wrenford holds a Master of Law (LLM) in Intellectual Property from University of West Indies, Jamaica. In 2013, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Amherst College, Massachusetts where he double majored in Chemistry as well as Art and the History of Art. Wrenford is also a graduate of United World College (UWC) - Atlantic College, Wales. Among his recent academic awards are an Amherst Memorial Fellowship and a United World College Davis Scholarship.

Before joining Telfer, Wrenford worked for over 6 years as a Corporate Researcher and Technical Recruiter with startup clients in Boston, New York and in California.

Outside of research, Wrenford enjoys art exhibitions and long outdoor runs.

Xiao Pan is a doctoral student in finance who is working under the supervision of Professor Shantanu Dutta at the Telfer School of Management. Xiao Pan’s research focuses on mergers and acquisitions within the broader field of corporate finance.

Xiao holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and a master’s degree in mathematical finance from the University of Miami. She has also passed the CFA Level II exam, further solidifying her expertise in financial analysis and investment management. She formerly worked at an investment bank, specializing in the bond market, where she successfully led bond issues worth over 25 billion RMB (approximately $5B CAD).

In addition to her academic work, Xiao is a part-time singer, a black belt in Taekwondo, and enjoys playing the drums, thus merging her intellectual, creative, and physical pursuits.

Xiaoyu Sun is a PhD student at the Telfer Management School, with a concentration in Finance and works under the supervision of Dr. Fabio Moneta. Her research interests are institutional investors, mutual funds, and asset pricing.

She holds a master’s degree in Finance and Investment from University of Leeds, UK, and a bachelor’s degree (Hons) in Economics from Dalhousie University, CAN. After graduating from Leeds Business School, she worked as a security analyst on market strategies in a Chinese security company and then joined Telfer in the Fall of 2020.

Xiaoyu spends her spare time drawing, practicing photography, and traveling.

Xin Ding is a PhD student in Management with a specialization in Accounting, under the supervision of Professor Walid Ben-Amar and Professor Lamia Chourou. Her research interests focus on corporate disclosures, particularly climate change disclosures.

Xin obtained her MSc in management from the University of Ottawa in 2019 and her B.Com degree in Accounting from the East China University of Science and Technology in 2017. Her master’s thesis focuses on the carbon disclosures in family firms under the supervision of Professor Walid Ben-Amar.

Xin is currently working as a research assistant on carbon disclosures. She was a teaching assistant for ADM 1340 (Financial Accounting), ADM 2336 (Organizational Behavior), ADM 2302 (Business Analytics), ADM 2341 (Managerial Accounting), and ADM 3346 (Cost Accounting). During her free time, she loves travelling and playing video games.

Guo is a PhD candidate in Organization Behavior and Human Resources Management (OBHR) at Telfer School of Management, working under the supervisor Dr. Jane O’Reilly.

Before joining Telfer, she got her Bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering and her first Master of Science degree in OBHR from Purdue University in United states. Later, she completed her second Master of Science degree from Concordia University in Montreal, QC.

Guo is interested in studying the area of the bias and stereotypes in workplace and how those behaviors influence workplace interactions. She is also interested in exploring numerous factors relating to individuals' and teams’ well-beings.

Her research has focused on bias towards minority groups and fairness in workplace in the past. She has also participated in project aimed at designing training program which raises awareness of implicit bias and stereotypes.

In her spare time, she likes to spend time and traveling with friends and family. She also enjoys music and dancing.