2017 Wharton Innovation Doctoral Symposium
We are pleased to invite you to the first Wharton Innovation Doctoral Symposium (WINDS), the
Wharton School's student-run multi-disciplinary doctoral conference on innovation.
The rationale for WINDS is that innovation, a central theme in business research and a fundamental
driver in today's economy, is by its very nature multi-disciplinary. However, as of today, there is no
platform where doctoral students from different business-related disciplines - such as strategic
management, organizational theory, finance, accounting, operations, marketing, economics, and other
areas - can interact. WINDS intends to provide such a meeting point.
WINDS will take place on October 5–7, 2017 at the Wharton School's main campus in Philadelphia,
PA. The event is organized by the Mack Innovation Doctoral Association and supported by the Mack
Institute for Innovation Management and the Wharton Doctoral Office. All conference information is
available at WINDS' webpage.
Participation is open to PhD students in all business-related disciplines undertaking research on topics
related to innovation. Students are invited to apply to one of the following four areas:
1. Economics and Policy (including, but not restricted to, industrial organization, intellectual
property, science policy, innovation policy, healthcare, economic growth, ...)
2. Finance and Accounting (including, but not restricted to, venture capital, private equity,
crowdfunding, financial market frictions, corporate finance, corporate governance, ...)
3. Strategy and Organization (including, but not restricted to, corporate strategy, competitive
strategy, technology strategy, organizational structure, human capital, ...)
4. Technology and Operations (including, but not restricted to, product development, process
management, business value of IT, electronic commerce, digitization, Internet, ...)
We invite you to apply for WINDS by submitting a 7-page proposal (including text, appendix, and
references) summarizing the study you plan to present. The study can be theoretical or empirical, and
there are no constraints in terms of methodology. The proposal should provide a complete overview
of the project, including motivation, research question, theory (if available), data (if available), and
preliminary results. Please apply through our online application system. The submission deadline is
July 1, 11:59 p.m. EDT.
We hope you will decide to join us and help us create a vibrant community of students and scholars
passionate about innovation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Student
Organizing Committee at innophdconf@wharton.upenn.edu.