PhD alumni profiles
Our alumni go on to teach and research in the world's leading business schools, taking with them the strong research tradition of the School. Read what our alumni have to say…
Ilya Strebulaev, Assistant Professor in Finance, Stanford GSB, USA
My five years spent in the PhD Programme at London Business School have been a most exciting and challenging experience. London Business School is a remarkably stimulating place and provides a truly scholarly environment. From the day I arrived up to the very day of my graduation everybody in the school was kind, encouraging and immensely helpful.
The Finance department is an outstanding group of first-rate scholars actively engaged in research in all fields of Finance. For me as a student by far the most important feature of the group was the interaction between faculty members and PhD students. The level of interest in the PhD Programme on the part of faculty is very high: everyone's door was literally open to us. At some point during my studies, I had an opportunity to talk about research to every member of faculty and, indeed, rarely a day passed without a serious, stimulating and encouraging conversation. The amount of time and interest that many members of faculty devoted to the PhD programme as a whole and to me personally went far beyond the call of duty and I cannot fully describe how much I appreciate it.
As one illustration of the School's attitude towards its PhD students, the Finance department provided financial support to allow us to attend major research conferences, organize our own PhD seminars, and purchase many expensive databases, some solely for the purposes of empirical research by PhD students! A second example is the enormous help I received from my adviser, the director of Finance PhD programme and from many other faculty members during my job search.
During my time at London Business School, I was also especially fortunate to be surrounded by bright, energetic, interesting and ambitious fellow PhD students, many of whom I am proud to call my friends and with whom I continue scientific collaboration. The numerous debates about all aspects of research, discussions of ideas and joint work on research projects, together with some friendly competition, were instrumental in preparing me for the exciting career of a researcher and teacher.
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Dimo Dimov, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Instituto de Empresa, Spain
I chose the PhD track in search for autonomy and intellectual excellence. I was attracted to London Business School by its pioneering focus on entrepreneurship, international reputation and great location. In fact, the school's PhD Programme in Entrepreneurship was among the first in the world, launched in time to respond to the growing importance of entrepreneurship in business education, public policy and practice.
In my four years at London Business School, I underwent a gradual, often frightening, and overwhelming makeover of my professional identity - from a fast-pace finance executive to a laid-back academic. My experience in the PhD Programme has been greatly rewarding, giving me the opportunity to explore many exciting ideas and cooperate with outstanding scholars. It has been a solid springboard for a successful academic career.
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Stefan Nagel, Assistant Professor, Stanford University
Doing a PhD at London Business School brought me up to the forefront of academic research in my field. For me it was the start of a deeply satisfying and exciting career as an academic.
The Finance group at London Business School ranks among the very best in the world and its research-driven environment offers ample intellectual stimulation. Outstanding faculty and a continuing stream of seminar speakers from the world's leading research institutions provided a fertile ground for my own research agenda. With an exceptional level of support, London Business School helped me to carry out these ideas.
One of the things I enjoyed most at London Business School was the company of ambitious fellow PhD students. They provided the testing ground for many of my ideas. Through spirited challenge and debate we pushed each other to excel in our research. Our mutual support and friendship continues today.
