Welcome to our Fall 2022 Newsletter

About the Leir Research Institute

The Henry J. and Erna D. Leir Research Institute for Business, Technology, and Society (LRI) creates value by integrating research and education to support economic and policy impacts that foster sustainable economic development, addressing critical global challenges to corporate and business continuity and growth.

The LRI operates in support of the NJIT 2025 four pillars: Diversity, Sustainability, Recognition, and Transformation. In coordination with the NJIT 2025 strategic plan, the LRI seeks to 1) promote collaborative research, 2) foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and 3) promote partnerships.

The vision of Henry J. and Erna D. Leir Research Institute for Business, Technology, and Society is to become recognized for business research that inclusively and collaboratively engages our academic, corporate, governmental, and non-profit partners. The Leir Research Institute will be a perpetual legacy honoring the memories of Henry J and Erna D. Leir and will also support the NJIT Martin Tuchman School of Management as it integrates academic research with important societal needs to solve critical societal problems.

The Henry J. and Erna D. Leir Research Institute for Business, Technology, and Society's research builds upon and leverages decades of NJIT experience and intellectual capital in the fields of sustainability and industrial ecology, environmental science, operations management and decision analytics, organizational behavior, and business data science.

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MTSM’s Entrepreneurship Program Ranks #1 in NJ for the 4th Year in a Row

LRI faculty helped keep the Princeton Review ranking of NJIT’s Entrepreneurship Program at #1 in NJ. In addition, NJIT’s ranking moved up to #1 among state universities in the Northeast, #4 among all Northeast schools, and up four spots to No. 30 nationally.

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Three LRI Faculty Share Two Bright Idea Awards

From left to right: Cesar Bandera, Melodi Guilbault, Haisu Zhang, and Shanti Gopalakrishnan at the Seton Hall Award Ceremony.

The Bright Ideas Award is a statewide research competition among all professors of business schools in NJ. It evaluates their publications from the preceding year and celebrates outstanding intellectual wealth.
 

Haisu Zhang and Shanthi Gopalakrishnan, who is receiving her third Bright Ideas Award, shared one award for their paper:
Kovoor-Misra, S., Gopalakrishnan, S., & Zhang, H. (2021). Staying Grounded! Organizational Identification and Perceived Control During Crises. Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 34, 2, 366-384. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-06-2019-0196

Cesar Bandera received his fourth Bright Ideas Award for this paper:
Bandera, C., Santos, S. C., & Liguori, E. W. (2021). The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship Education: A Delphi Study on Dangers and Unintended Consequences. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 4(4), 609-636. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515127420944592

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14th New Business Model Competition

At the 14th Annual New Business Model Competition, about 50 students and 25 unaffiliated community members competed for the opportunity to kickstart their new business idea. The sponsors of this year's competition were CapitalOne, Ellavoz Impact Capital, and Wells Fargo. With seven students and eight community members reaching the final round, each finalist presented their ideas to a panel of judges. The five winners of the competition were Anthony Caruso, John Holck, Jitendra Anil Kewalramani, Cass Severe, and Dawn Niles.

Student winners include Anthony Caruso and John Holck of ReFilament and Jitendra Anil Kewalramani of Ultrasound Technology for Mineralization of PFAS.

Community winners include Cass Severe of Meet Her At The Gat/Severe Solutions LLC and Dawn Niles of Apprentice Resource Management.

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Two NJIT Students Awarded the Ellavoz Impact Capital “Boomers Funding Zoomers” Award

At the 14th New Business Model Competition, Ellavoz Impact Capital was the lead benefactor, supporting student entrepreneurs in their business startups by committing $15,000 to the winners and VentureLink. The winners will continue to develop their businesses through VentureLink at NJIT and have the opportunity to present again in front of the Ellavox Impact Angel Network in 2023.

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LRI Hosts Research Workshop on 12/07/2022

Associate Dean for Research Shanthi Gopalakrishnan and Cesar Bandera hosted the 2022 MTSM Research Workshop on December 7th, 2022. The workshop promoted multidisciplinary collaborations among NJIT faculty, and faculty from all NJIT Academic Units and MTSM Ph.D. students attended. The word cloud pictured above illustrates the combined research interests of the attendees.

The workshop provided the NJIT community with an overview of resources and research activity at MTSM. Iris Pantoja, Assistant Director of Sponsored Research Administration, gave an overview of NJIT protocols for extramural and translational research.

 

LRI Faculty Instructors at the National NSF I-Corps Fall 2022 Cohort

From October 11th to November 22nd, Michael Ehrlich and Cesar Bandera served as instructors to 24 deep-tech teams from universities across the country in the Fall 2022 National Cohort of the NSF Innovation Corps. I-Corps is an entrepreneurial training program that supports the translation of invention from academia to the commercial market.

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In Memoriam Margot Gibis

With deep sorrow and regret, we note the passing of the former President of the Leir Foundation, Margot Gibis. We are grateful for her many years of service and her support of NJIT Martin Tuchman School of Management. She was deeply committed to maintaining the legacy and memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. and Erna D. Leir and was able to benefit the lives of many. Her many years of support, the establishment of the Leir Research Institute as well as the business data observatory are all her great gifts to MTSM that made our school what it is today. She especially loved helping young people and students. We offer our heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones. We will miss her greatly.