Awards and Prizes

Business Administration PhD Program Scholarship in the Field of Management of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources

Value: $8,000

Established in 2013 for Business Administration PhD Program students in the field of Management of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources. To be awarded by the School of Graduate Studies based on the recommendation of the Associate Dean, (Graduate Studies and Research), in consultation with the Human Resources and Management Area Chair, in the Faculty of Business, to a student who has achieved high academic standing. Eligible students are required to have completed their course work and passed their comprehensive examination.

2022 – Javid Nafari
2021 – Alexandra Lefcoe
2020 – Jennifer Ho
2019 – Mojan Naisani Samani
2018 – Hamsa Gururaj
2017 – Maggie (Minghui) Cheng
2016 – Megan Murphy

Sandra M. Stephens Memorial Award for Global Research Leaders – (not available in 2022/23 academic year)

Value: $2,000

Established in 2018 in memory of Sandra Marie Stephens, who offered tremendous support for both local and international PhD students during her tenure at the DeGroote School of Business. To be awarded by the School of Graduate Studies based on the recommendation of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Research, in consultation with the Ph.D. Advisory Committee, in the Faculty of Business, to a student who displays global interest through, but not limited to, collection of primary data from overseas and/ or collaboration with international co-authors.

2021 – Mojan Naisani Samani
2020 – Seyedeh Parastoo Ostad
2019 – Jennifer Green
2018 – Bellraj Eapen

The Norm Archer Endowed Prize

Value: $1,000

Established in 2002 by Professor Archer’s PhD students and the Faculty of Business, in honour of Professor Archer’s outstanding contribution to this students at the DeGroote School of Business. To be awarded to a student entering level 3 of the PhD program in Business Administration in the fields of Management Science or Information Systems who, in the judgment of the DeGroote School of Business, has demonstrated the highest degree of commitment, excellence and integrity in scholarship, in both courses taken and in research. The prize will be awarded at the discretion of the awards committee and may not be awarded annually.

2022 – Zeinab Vosooghi
2021 – Fatma Elbabour
2020 – Aydin Farrokhi
2019 – Shuai Zhang
2018 – Armagan Ozbilge
2017 – Mariam Munawar
2016 – Seyed Davod Hosseini
2015 – Sepideh Ebrahimi
2014 – Alireza Tajbakhsh
2013 – Maryam Ghasemaghaei
2012 – Sepandar Sepehr
2011 – Zhiling Tu
2010 – Hamed Qahri Saremi

Robert C. Joyner Doctoral Student Publication Prize

Value: $500

Established in 1993 in honour of Dr. Robert C. Joyner, Dean of the Faculty of Business from 1974-1979, under whose leadership the doctoral program was initiated. To be awarded annually to a student in the doctoral program in Business Administration who, in the judgment of the awards committee, publishes or has accepted for publication the best research paper in that year.

2022 – Jennifer Ho
2021 – Ramy Abdallah
2020 – Aydin Farrokhi
2019 – Maggie (Minghui) Cheng
2018 – Davod Hosseini
2017 – Sepideh Ebrahimi
2016 – Azam Shamsi
2015 – Maryam Ghasemaghaei
2014 – Majid Taghavi
2013 – Chuanqian Zhang
2012 – Hangfei Guo
2011 – James Chowhan
2010 – Hamed Qahri Saremi

Community Engagement Student Leadership Award

Value: $250

This annual award recognizes students in the PhD program in Business Administration at the DeGroote School of Business. The award recipient will be a student who has demonstrated commitment to activities at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster and in the broader community since the start of the program. Nominees must highlight their engagement activities and explain to the awarding committee how they have made significant contributions to improving the community. These students lead and engage in activities and services that are not required as part of their professional duties as a PhD student. Examples of community engagement activities include participating on a faculty or university-wide committee or through external volunteer activities in the wider community.

Students from all fields and levels of the program are eligible to be faculty, peer, or self-nominated and they are encouraged to begin early in the program to make a larger impact. Nominees will complete a one-page detailed explanation of their community engagement and include their current CV. The award recipient will be determined by the awards committee and the award will be presented at the annual PhD award recognition event.

2022 – Nicole Rakowski
2021 – Nicole Rakowski
2020 – Mojan Naisani Samani
2019 – Farnaz Ghaedipour
2018 – Lynda van Dreumel
2017 – Jodie Lobana
2016 – Megan Murphy
2015 – Alireza Tajbakhsh
2014 – Sophia Yao

Academic Leadership Award

Value: $250

This annual award recognizes students in the PhD program in Business Administration at the DeGroote School of Business. This prize will be awarded to students who show initiative in an academic context through leadership roles at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster and in the broader community since the start of the program. Nominees must demonstrate their leadership by illustrating the importance of the contributions to the academic environment whether it is to their specific field of study, to the school, or to the academic community as a whole. Examples of leadership initiatives include organizing an event or conference for their respective field and developing collaborations across interdisciplinary fields to reach an ultimate goal.

Students from all fields and all levels of the program are eligible to be faculty, peer, or self-nominated and they are encouraged to begin early in the program to make a larger impact. Nominees will complete a one-page detailed explanation of their leadership activities and include their current CV. The award recipient will be determined by the awards committee and the award will be presented at the annual PhD award recognition event.

2022 – Si Liu
2021 – Mahdi Abouei
2020 – Ahmed Fares
2019 – Naim Tajvarpour
2018 – Nicole O’Brien
2017 – Samira Farivar
2016 – Firat Sayin
2015 – Azam Shamsi
2014 – Anna Sadovnikova & Saeed Shekari

Best PhD Student Instructor Award

Established in 2019, this annual award recognizes students working towards a PhD in the Business Administration program at the DeGroote School of Business, in any discipline, for demonstrated excellence in teaching. The award will be given to the PhD student instructor who has most demonstrated: both effectiveness as a teacher and the ability to enrich the learning experiences of undergraduate or graduate students through thoughtful and innovative incorporation of scholarship into their teaching methodology; and commitment to creativity and fostering a sense of discovery in the design and delivery of their courses. The award recipient will be determined by the Faculty Committee of Instruction. The award, in the form of a certificate, will be presented at the annual PhD award recognition event.

2022
- Best PhD Student Instructor Award, Mahdi Abouei
2021
- Best PhD Student Instructor, Ramy Abdallah
2020
- Best PhD Student Instructor, Minghui (Maggie) Cheng
2019
- Best PhD Student Undergraduate Instructor, Efthymios Nikolakopoulos
- Best PhD Student Graduate Instructor, Nour El Shamy