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WEFI FELLOWS

SUMMARY

The WEFI Fellows program currently consists of 11 Ph.D. students interested in pursuing research in entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial finance, and innovation. The group meets virtually with Mike Ewens bi-weekly for approximately 9 months out of the year (excluding Jan-Feb and a summer month). Meetings include student presentations of new ideas, practice job talks, mock interviews, and idea pitches.

Why?

The primary goals are to help students — particularly those at schools without multiple faculty in entrepreneurship and innovation — refine their dissertation topic, learn more about the research area and build their network of fellow Ph.D. students. The small field and limited advisors are partially consequences of the research area itself: it is often interdisciplinary or pursued by researchers trained in different areas. Though many have successfully written a dissertation in this environment, the lack of seminar speakers, student colleagues working on similar topics and advisors with direct experience in the literature can leave them at a disadvantage or worse, stop them from pursuing certain topics1

Eligible students

  • Students working in entrepreneurship, innovation, and entrepreneurial finance who
  • have entered the research phase of their Ph.D. program (typically years 2+, but pre-job market year) with an advisor
  • work in economics, finance, strategy, or management
  • have selected their research area in entrepreneurship ideally with a completed first 2nd/3rd-year paper.

How and your commitment

We meet every other week on Zoom for an hour where student presenters have 20-30 minutes to present. Outside of meetings, the group interacts on a software platform for messaging and chats. Students are encouraged to meet outside of regular meetings or schedule separate 1-1s with Mike Ewens.

The WEFI Fellows are in charge of organizing the annual Student Workshop held every Fall.

Application process (opens May 2024)
The application process has two steps:

  1. Submit a pre-application by May 31st (you will need your CV)
  2. After date June 15th , selected applicants will be contacted to submit a short description of their research and a statement from their advisor (do not send one unless requested)

Current WEFI Fellows (entry year)

Melissa Crumling (Drexel) ’23

Tarikua Erda (Columbia) ’22

Himal Gautam (BI Norweigan Business School) ’23

Blake Jackson (Univ. of FL) ’23

Roham Rezaei (UNSW) ’22

Daisy Wang (OSU) ’23

2024 Fellow Graduates

Silvia Dalla Fontana (University of Lugano) ’21

Silvia will join ESCP Business School as an Assistant Professor of Finance.

Caroline Genc (Universite Paris-Dauphine) ’21

Caroline will join Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State University as an Assistant Professor of Finance.

Xiameng Hua (UCSD) ’22

Xiameng will join Western Alliance Bank at Phoenix as a Liquidity and IRRBB Risk Modeler. 

Yingxiang Li (UBC) ’21

Yingxiang will join CityU Hong Hong as an Assistant Professor of Finance.

Ellen Xiyue Li (UBC) ’21

Ellen will join Chinese University of Hong Kong – Shenzhen as an Assistant Professor of Finance.

2023 Fellow Graduates

Liudmila Alekseeva (IESE Business School) ’20

Mila is joining KU Leuven in Belgium as an Assistant Professor.

Minmo Gahng (University of Florida) ’20

Mo will join Cornell SC Johnson College of Business as an Assistant Professor of Finance.

Seula Kim (University of Maryland) ’20

Seula will join Penn State University as an Assistant Professor of Economics.

Hedieh Rashidi Ranjbar (University of Michigan) ’20

Hedieh will join the University of Melbourne as an Assistant Professor of Finance.

Jing (Sophia) Xue (University of Maryland) ’20

Sophia is joining J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State as an Assistant Professor of Finance.

Learn more

Contact Michael Ewens for questions.