PhD Workshop on Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Macro-OB Dissertation Topics The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in United States

The Fourth Annual Collective Impact Doctoral Workshop, supported by the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is now accepting applications for its 2026 session. This workshop and mentoring program is designed for doctoral students in Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Macro-Organizational Behavior who are entering the dissertation stage and seeking to select impactful, feasible, and rigorous research topics. The program is particularly aimed at students who have completed their coursework and comprehensive exams but have not yet finalized their dissertation topic.

Participants will benefit from mentorship and feedback from a distinguished group of faculty members representing leading institutions such as Cornell, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, UC Davis, Imperial College London, Wharton, and more. Each selected student will be scheduled for an hour-long meeting with two faculty mentors to discuss and refine their research proposal. The workshop also includes a closing plenary session in the spring, led by Jerry Davis and Phanish Puranam, providing opportunities for peer exchange and broader faculty engagement.

Applicants are required to watch an introductory video, complete the Dissertation Canvas exercises, and submit them as part of their application. The workshop is an excellent opportunity for doctoral students to receive guidance on choosing dissertation topics that are relevant to contemporary societal challenges and of interest to audiences beyond academic journals.

The application deadline is February 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST. For more information and to apply, visit the Mack Institute website. Questions can be directed to [email protected].

Keywords: Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Macro-Organizational Behavior, Dissertation Topic Selection, PhD Workshop, Mentoring, Innovation Management.