Ph.D. Spotlight - Susana Velez-Castrillon
“The Ph.D. program has been a very enriching experience. I am a biologist and did not have any interest in business when I graduated from college. I started working and became curious about the things that happened in the lab that had nothing to do with biochemistry. Why were we pursuing this or that alliance? How were the companies we worked with choosing which projects to fund? How did the entrepreneurs I worked with decide to enter such risky ventures? Even the daily interactions with my bosses and co-workers mystified me. This is how I became interested in business, and the Bauer Ph.D. in management program has been an excellent match for this curiosity.
From the start, Ph.D. students are encouraged to pursue their research interests. Some of the papers I have presented in national conferences began as class assignments in my first year, and I think this is because professors are really involved in hearing our ideas and helping us to better formulate questions and develop research. The people at Bauer are a tough crowd: always questioning your logic, asking why, telling you different ways to think about the issues you are considering. This is hard, but it creates a very stimulating environment for discussion and has sharpened my skills as a researcher (not to mention my ability to stand in front of audiences!) I am constantly exposed to the research of Bauer’s faculty and also of top researchers from across the globe who attend our seminars. I have gotten to hear many different perspectives, view different methods to answer questions in management, and see how these renowned scholars have shaped their careers.
The constant exposure to research has not given definite answers to the questions I had when I joined the program. If anything I have more questions now. What has changed is that I have acquired many tools to answer these questions, and am now well equipped to be part of the management field intellectual conversation.”
- Susana Velez-Castrillon
