Calling all recent PhD grads: have you defended a dissertation in the past two years that investigates a pressing social issue in management? If so, consider applying to AOM's William C. Frederick SIM Outstanding Dissertation Award. This award recognizes top-notch, innovative research that tackle topics at the intersection of business and society.
Details on the call for submissions below. Submissions are due 3/31. The finalist will receive a $1,000 award.
We are looking forward to reading some great dissertations!
WILLIAM C. FREDERICK SIM OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION AWARD
Social Issues in Management Division of the Academy of Management
Application deadline: Tuesday March 31, 2026
The Social Issues in Management (SIM) Division of the Academy of Management recognizes exemplary completion of doctoral study through the William C. Frederick SIM Outstanding Dissertation Award. The dissertation award is kindly supported by Dr. Millie Myers and Dr. James Weber. Three award finalists will present a brief overview of their dissertation at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting. The award winner will receive a $1000 cash prize and should be in attendance at the meeting to receive the prize.
ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible for consideration, six requirements of the dissertation must be met:
1. It must have been successfully defended between February 28th, 2024 and February 28th, 2026.
2. It must be written in English language.
3. It must focus on some aspect of the relationship between business and society (see https://sim.aom.org/new-item2/new-item for more details on the SIM domain statement)
4. It must not be submitted to any other Academy division in the same year.
5. The application must be received by the Award Committee Chair on or before March 31, 2026
6. By submitting their work, the dissertation authors agree to attend the conference and to present their dissertation in case they are among the three finalists.
CRITERIA:
The primary criteria for selection are as follows (for further information please see: Muethel, M., Social Issues in Management Division Award Competition for 2013: Acknowledging Exemplary Research Processes and Outcomes in Doctoral Study. Business & Society, 2015, 54(3): 365-375):
1. Domain relevance
2. Innovativeness of research question
3. Significance of contribution
4. Adequacy of literature review
5. Conceptual development
6. Methodological appropriateness
7. Presentation style
APPLICATION:
To apply for the award, the following materials (four separate .pdf files) must be received via email by the award committee chair (alex.kowalski@cornell.edu) on or before March 31, 2026:
1. An extended abstract, excluding identities of author, university, and advisors, of no more than 10 double spaced pages including (double-spaced) references, 1" margins throughout, 12 point Times New Roman font, paginated at the center-bottom of each page, no appendix. The document should include the title of the dissertation and should be named "Abstract.pdf". New (!): Please make sure that the abstract includes visually separated sections, including the sections "Research Gap and Motivation," "Methods," "Findings," and "Contributions."
2. The complete dissertation thesis, excluding identities of author, university, and advisors and acknowledgements; including dissertation title, table of contents, all chapters, references, and appendices. The document should be named "Thesis.pdf".
3. A copy of the signature page (commonly the PhD certificate), with author name, university name, signatures, and date of defense. The document should be named "SignaturePage.pdf".
4. A title page, including author name, current mailing address, telephone number, and email address. Please also add the name, email, and affiliation of the thesis supervisor. The document should be named "TitlePage.pdf".
5. You can submit an award application to only one Academy division per year, but your dissertation is eligible for an award for two years after completion. Therefore, you may submit your dissertation to SIM one year and to a different division another year.
SUBMISSION:
To be considered for the 2026 Award, please email your completed application to:
· Alex Kowalski (alex.kowalski@cornell.edu), William C. Frederick SIM Outstanding Dissertation Award Committee Chair
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Alex Kowalski
Assistant Professor
Cornell University
Ithaca NY
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