Clarivate Analytics Web of Science listed three University of Texas at Dallas faculty members in its 2020 list of Highly Cited Researchers, including Mike Peng, the O.P. Jindal Distinguished Chair; professor of organizations, strategy and international management; and executive director of the Center for Global Business in the Jindal School. He was listed among 101 scholars in economics and business. Peng has been on this list every year year since its inception in 2014. Read more on the UT Dallas News Center.

Umit Gurun, an Ashbel Smith Professor of Accounting and of Finance and Managerial Economics, and his research colleagues have won a best-paper award for a study they did showing disparity between the ecologically efficient innovations traditional energy producers have created and how those innovations have been received by socially conscious investors.

Gurun and co-authors Dr. Lauren Cohen of Harvard Business School and Dr. Quoc Nguyen of DePaul University placed first in the Weinberg/IRRCi Research Paper Competition. Their paper, “The ESG-Innovation Disconnect: Evidence from Green Patenting,” was discussed and the prize presented March 16 at the University of Delaware Weinberg Center/ECGI Corporate Governance Symposium.

In studying green patents, those that provide an environmental benefit, either through decreased energy use, technological innovation, or both, Gurun and his colleagues found that in the United States, traditional oil, gas and other energy-producing companies are leading creators of environmentally sound innovations. But because these companies have in the past received low environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores from funds and investors interested in social change as well as financial returns, they often are excluded from ESG — socially responsible — portfolios.

Gurun says their findings raise important questions about such exclusions. And he and his co-authors wonder if “reward-based incentives would lead to more efficient innovative outcomes.”

Sheen S. Levine and his co-authors earned the Most Novel Paper award from the Behavioral Strategy Interest Group at the Strategic Management Society’s 40th Annual Conference, which was held virtually last October. Levine, an assistant professor of organizations, strategy and international management, co-authored the paper “What Directs Search? Experimental Evidence on Some Triggers of Exploration” with Charlotte Reypens, formerly a visiting scholar at UT Dallas and now a senior policy advisor at Nesta, a British foundation for innovation, and with Christoph Riedl, an associate professor of information systems and supply chain at Northeastern University.

Levine and his collaborators sought to understand when decision-makers are ready to leave the familiar and explore the promising and the risky. For example, what brings a manager to spend less on sustaining an existing service and develop a completely new one?

They designed and executed a series of behavioral experiments where they could listen to decision-makers describing their thought processes and observe their choices. Studying diverse participants in a variety of settings, the research trio identified two triggers of exploration. One, exploration can be reactive. Trying a new path is more likely when results are disappointing: Sales fall, or enrollment does not meet expectations. But exploration can also be proactive, triggered by stable performance, they concluded. In other words, decision-makers can be forced into exploration by dissatisfaction, but they often begin exploring when performance becomes predictable.

Sumit Sarkar, Charles and Nancy Davidson Chair, professor of information systems and director of the Jindal School PhD Programs, was honored in a virtual ceremony last November as a distinguished alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. “We take immense pleasure in honoring Professor Sumit Sarkar,” the institute said, “for his outstanding contributions to the field of academia. We congratulate and wish him good luck for all his future endeavors!”

Sarkar earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology New Delhi before earning his MBA from IIM Calcutta. He earned his doctorate in business administration from the University of Rochester.

The Association for Information Systems honored Dawn Owens, clinical associate professor in information systems and director of the undergraduate Information Technology and Systems program, with a Sandra Slaughter Service Award at its 2020 International Conference on Information Systems in December.

The late Dr. Sandra Slaughter was a Georgia Institute of Technology professor, remembered as a dedicated volunteer leader in the association and integral member of the information systems community. The award recognizes longtime AIS members who have provided leadership within the association. “Honorees,” it was noted at the conference, “have continued to work tirelessly to educate, research and serve the field through continued engagement and contribution.”

A member of AIS since 2010, Owens currently serves on its Member Conduct Committee as well as its Student Chapter Advisory Board. She was instrumental in establishing the UT Dallas Association for Information Systems student chapter, which promotes professional development of undergraduate information system students through workshops, networking, guest speakers and case competitions.

Owens also is a past chair of the AIS Women’s Network, an association group that supports female scholars in information systems and enables mentorship relationships crucial to speed the success of women in the information systems field.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson appointed Bryan Chambers to his Task Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in January. Chambers, a senior lecturer and director of the UT Dallas Seed Fund in the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is one of 15 members of the group, which has been charged with attracting, supporting and retaining startup businesses in the city.

Ron Bose and William (Bill) Hefley, both information systems professors, were named to the inaugural list of Leading Academic Data Leaders in Chief Data Officer Magazine. CDO grew out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s annual CDO and Information Quality Symposium in partnership with the International Society of Chief Data Officers and ComSpark, an annual two-day tech summit. A professor of practice, Bose is the director of the Center for Information Technology and Management. A clinical professor, Hefley is director of the MS in Business Analytics Cohort program.

Maria Gomez Albrecht, a marketing lecturer in the Executive MBA and Global Leadership MBA programs, has been elected president of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of Prospanica for its 2021 term.

Formerly the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, Prospanica is a nationwide nonprofit that promotes and advocates for the growth of Hispanic MBAs and business professionals in corporate America.

As president, Albrecht will be responsible for developing and leading local strategies to grow the chapter’s membership and increase its value to its members.

“The strategic vision over the next year is to maintain the chapter’s leadership position in the Metroplex as the top organization for Hispanic professionals to achieve full educational, economic and social potential,” Albrecht said.

She added that “the focus will remain on helping Hispanic professionals and college students to connect, advance and thrive in their careers.”

Albrecht, who earned her doctorate in business administration from Swiss Management Center University, brings over 25 years of corporate experience to the classroom. She has extensive experience in domestic and international marketing, e-commerce, sales operations, project management, data analytics, supply chain and vendor management. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, she also has business proficiency in French and Italian.

The average person should have at least one credit card, Steven Haynes, an assistant professor of practice in finance and managerial economics and director of the Risk Management and Insurance Concentration, advised in answering questions in a credit card tutorial on WalletHub, a personal finance website.

Congratulations to Jindal School faculty members honored with Outstanding Worthy Leaders Involved Exceptionally (OWLIE) awards at the annual Dean’s Council event in April:

Undergraduate Faculty of the Year: Rebecca Files

Graduate Faculty of the Year (Tie): Dorothy Honhon and Joseph Mauriello

PhD Faculty of the Year: Ganesh Janakiraman