Three professors are guiding the initiative to advance research excellence in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business as members of the newly established Research Advisory Council. They are Lindsay Andiola, Ph.D., associate professor of accounting; Paul Brooks, Ph.D., professor, department chair of information systems and executive director of analytics programs; and Douglas Davis, Ph.D., professor of economics.

Candice Tam, M.P.A., executive director of finance and research administration at the School of Business, also will join the council.

“Like the other faculty members, I’ve devoted a substantial portion of my life’s energy to doing research,” Davis said. “While personal ambition certainly plays a role, we also want to do something useful. Membership on this council is an opportunity to do that.”

Said Tam: “I’m looking forward to working with the other council members to strengthen the school’s external funding track record. Together, we can rethink the applicant experience from start to finish so that our colleagues feel supported and our proposals are as competitive as possible.”

“We want to emphasize that we’re here to help,” Tam said. “Being part of the council helps us accomplish that objective and further support the school’s research mission.”

The council was established as part of the Business School’s commitment to transdisciplinary research excellence under its strategic plan, Opportunity 2030, said Mayoor Mohan, Ph.D., professor and associate dean for strategic affairs and research initiatives. While the council will not hold formal decision-making or oversight authority, Mohan noted, it will provide crucial input across the breadth of the school’s research mission, enterprise and goals. This includes matters related to faculty research support programs, internal and external research programs, and transdisciplinary and collaborative research initiatives, Mohan said.

“Over the last couple of years, I’ve been thinking about how to translate my behavioral research, and accounting research generally, in ways that professionals, firms and regulators can understand and benefit from,” Andiola said. “I believe this resonates with what we should be doing in the School of Business — the connection to community and real impact versus only academic impact. I’m a big proponent of that and believe it’s something we all should consider to move the school forward.”

Brooks said he has “a history of working across disciplines and participating in grant-funded research, and these are two things that historically, business school research hasn’t taken advantage of. We tended to be discipline specific. So I’m excited that research is being prioritized” as demonstrated by the council’s formation.

Brooks added that he’s especially eager to help create more awareness. “Our research profile has really increased,” he said. “There’s a lot of good stuff happening, and I’m looking forward to helping to highlight the impact of it all.”

Davis said he wants the council to motivate and enable faculty members to pursue socially important questions. “I think the real key is to encourage people to swing for the fences – to think about what they really want to know, and what they haven’t thought of before.”

“That’s where progress lies,” he said, “and as a consequence, the School of Business’s research reputation is elevated.”

The council is expected to establish goals and priorities, among other agenda items, when it convenes with Mohan in May.