2019 PDMA Doctoral Consortium
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
August 5-7, 2019
Consortium Co-Chairs: Ravi Mehta, Aric Rindfleisch & Vishal Sachdev
Application Deadline: February 1, 2019
The Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois and the Product Development & Management Association
are co-sponsoring the fourth PDMA Doctoral Consortium from Monday, August 5 to Wednesday, August 7,
2019 in Champaign, Illinois. The goal of the Consortium is to enhance the development of doctoral students who
are conducting dissertation research in the domain of innovation and new product development.
All meals, housing, social activities, and local transportation will be provided free of charge. Students are only
asked to cover their transportation costs to and from Champaign, which is conveniently located just two hours
south of Chicago and easily accessible via plane, train, bus or car.
Students accepted to the Consortium will be honored as Doctoral Student Fellows and have a unique opportunity
to network and share ideas with leading innovation scholars and corporate executives in a collaborative setting in
the Heartland of America. Our two and a half-day event will offer a variety of engaging and interesting activities,
including Faculty Presentations, Student Lightning Talks, One-on-one Mentoring, Roundtable Research Discussions,
Tours of the University of Illinois Research Park and an Introduction to 3D Printing in the Illinois MakerLab. In
addition, Doctoral Student Fellows will have the opportunity to compete for research support as well as the
opportunity to present at the Annual PDMA Research Forum.
Additional Learning Opportunity: Fellows interested in learning more about 3D Printing will have the opportunity
to attend a special post conference training event (from 1:00 to 5:30pm on Wednesday, August 7) at the
Illinois MakerLab. Fellows who complete this training will receive a Digital Making Certificate from the University
of Illinois. The cost of this additional training is $50. Space is limited, so this opportunity will only be available for
15 Fellows.
How to Apply
Eligibility: To be eligible for participation as Doctoral Student Fellow, you must be in the dissertation phase in a
doctoral studies program related to innovation or new product development.
Procedures: Applicants are asked to submit the following materials:
● A brief on-line application form.
● A two-page single-spaced summary of your dissertation. This summary should identify your topic, research
question, theory, method, findings and expected contributions.
● An up-to-date vita.
● A letter of recommendation from your dissertation advisor.
Consortium Website: https://pdmaatgies.web.illinois.edu/
Questions? please contact Aric Rindfleisch at aric@illinois.edu