In July, Miami University had the pleasure of joining the Academy of Management’s (AOM) Annual Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark. At AOM’s first meeting hosted in Europe—boasting over 13,000 attendees—the Center for L.I.F.E. hosted the 4th annual Ph.D. Seminar on Religion and Entrepreneurship.
Co-led by Brett Smith and Cory Driver, this seminar brought together a global community of emerging scholars exploring how faith and entrepreneurship intersect in meaningful—and practical—ways.
The one-day seminar featured rich discussion about theory development, research design, and publication strategy, engaging with leading voices in the field such as Saulo Dubard Barbosa (Emlyon Business School), Allan Discua Cruz (Lancaster University), Miruna Radu-Lefebvre (Audencia), and Mitchell Neubert (Baylor University).
Our Ph.D. student participants’ passion and curiosity continue to inspire. One of our participants noted,
“It’s very rewarding as a young scholar to see that people share the same desire to make a real impact on entrepreneurs’ lives by exploring and contributing to such an important conversation.”
Another student said,
“I am very grateful that I can have personal communication with many experienced and established scholars, including the chief editor of major journal on entrepreneurship.”
With such a fostering of rich connections and continuation of important conversations, we believe the future of research at the intersection of faith and entrepreneurship is in good hands.
In addition to the seminar, we hosted the 4th Annual L.I.F.E. Faith and Entrepreneurship Social.
It was a joy to connect in person with so many fellow scholars working at the intersection of faith and entrepreneurship. We spent the evening sharing research ideas, catching up on ongoing projects, and forming new connections that we hope will lead to continued collaboration and growth in this emerging field.
We are grateful to everyone who joined us and especially thank our senior scholars whose wisdom and continued presence have helped shape and sustain this community over the years.
We hope you plan to join us next year at AOM’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA from July 31 to August 4, 2026.
