Halfway There

Making Connections Committee

Year-round programming · Making Connections Committee

"Halfway There" PDW for pre-dissertation doctoral students

A virtual workshop helping mid-program PhD students begin establishing themselves as independent scholars, with sessions tailored to doctoral norms across three global time zones. This session was held June 23–25, 2025.

The "Halfway There" PDW is for PhD students who have finished their comprehensive exams, or have finished at least one year of their PhD program. It is designed to help mid-program PhD students begin establishing themselves as independent scholars.

To make the workshop more accessible to students without funding to attend AOM in Copenhagen, the PDW was offered virtually via Zoom across three days ahead of AOM, Monday, June 23 to Wednesday, June 25, with sessions tailored to three global time zones. The program included an opening plenary on Monday, followed by three region-specific sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday tailored to doctoral norms and expectations in each region: the Western Hemisphere, Central Hemisphere, and Eastern Hemisphere.

Participants were encouraged to attend the opening plenary and at least one other session of their choosing, and were welcome to attend any and all sessions. An in-person networking session for PDW attendees was also held at AOM in Copenhagen.

2025 Halfway There PDW poster

Watch the recordings

"Halfway There, But Now What? Advice for Pre-Dissertation PhD Students" sessions are available on YouTube.

Program: opening plenary

Opening plenary session

Monday, June 23 · 10:00am–1:00pm ET / 2:00–5:00pm UTC · Designed for all attendees

Crafting your scholarly identity

Launching the dissertation, presented by Dr. Margaret Luciano

Setting your path, presented by Dr. Allie Gabriel

ML

Dr. Margaret Luciano

Launching the dissertation

AG

Dr. Allie Gabriel

Setting your path

Success in the second half sessions

Tailored to three time zones. Participants were encouraged to attend at least one, based on geographic region. Each session featured a "Defining Success" panel followed by roundtable discussions in breakout rooms.

1

Central Hemisphere session

Tuesday, June 24 · 9:00am–11:00am ET / 2:00pm–4:00pm UTC

DN

Dr. Daniel Newark

HEC Paris

EF

Dr. Elinor Flynn

London Business School

AI

Dr. Alessandro Iorio

Bocconi

JB

Dr. Joost van de Brake

University of Groningen

2

Eastern Hemisphere session

Wednesday, June 24 · 9:00am–11:00am ChinaST & AustraliaCST / 1:00am–3:00am UTC

JC

Dr. JS Chun

Sung Kyun Kwan University

PF

Dr. Pascale Fricke

UNSW Sydney

KL

Dr. Katrina Lin

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

HT

Dr. He Tianya

National University of Singapore

3

Western Hemisphere session

Wednesday, June 25 · 12:00pm–2:00pm ET / 4:00pm–6:00pm UTC

RZ

Dr. Rui Zhong

Penn State University

BC

Dr. Bethany Cockburn

Northern Illinois University

Nitya Chawla

Dr. Nitya Chawla

University of Minnesota

In-person networking at AOM

Those attending AOM in Copenhagen were invited to network in person at the Copenhagen Botanical Gardens, with light refreshments provided.

Who it is for

PhD students who have finished their comprehensive exams, or have finished at least one year of their PhD program.

Co-organizers

"Halfway There" co-organizers and Making Connections Committee members.

Lauren Locklear

Lauren Locklear

Co-organizer, Making Connections Committee

EH

Edwyna Hill

Co-organizer, Making Connections Committee

BR

Ben Rogers

Co-organizer, Making Connections Committee

BB

Bailey Bigelow

Co-organizer, Making Connections Committee

Questions

For more information, contact Lauren Locklear.

Email Lauren Locklear

"Halfway There" is part of the OB Division's year-round programming from the Making Connections Committee. Explore more at Making Connections Committee Programming.