09-14-2026
How can academic research help organizations tackle the challenges they face today? The Mitch Daniels School of Business brought together industry partners, donors, alumni, faculty and staff this fall for its inaugural Dean’s Research Center Showcase and Luncheon to explore that question and highlight work taking place across the school.
The event in Rawls Hall opened with remarks from Jim Bullard, Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Daniels School, who welcomed more than 80 attendees and emphasized the importance of connecting faculty and industry partners to address questions facing business and society. The school’s research initiatives help make these partnerships possible, creating opportunities for researchers, students and organizations to engage around complex business problems.
Executive Associate Dean of Strategy, Research, and Innovation and Allison & Nancy Schleicher Chair Mohit Tawarmalani welcomed attendees to the inaugural Dean’s Research Center Showcase.
Held in the Daniels School’s Rawls Hall, the showcase gave guests an overview of the many ways the school’s centers connect research with business and society.
Associate Professor of Economics Yaroslav Rosokha covered both the Center for Behavioral Economics Experiments and Public Policy and the Vernon Smith Experimental Economics Laboratory, two dynamic econ centers.
Mario Crucini, the Daniels School’s Jerry and Rosie Semler Chair in Economics, directs the Center for Inflation and Price Research, which seeks to improve the understanding of price determination among the public, policy makers and researchers.
Center Director and Susan Bulkeley Butler Distinguished Professor in Operations Management David Simchi-Levi explains the mission behind one of the business school’s newest centers, the Data Science Center for Decision Making.
Stephan Biller directs the Dauch Center for the Management of Manufacturing Enterprises, which promotes education, research and industrial engagement in operations management and manufacturing management.
Center for Working Well Director Allie Gabriel says the Daniels School is one of the first business schools in the country to offer executive coaching to undergraduate students, which the center does through its Hayes Leadership Coaching Institute.
The Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program at the Daniels School prepares students for careers in real estate and is lead by Professor of Economics Mike Eriksen.
The Purdue Fintech Center, helmed by founding director Deniz Yavuz, is a cross-disciplinary hub.
Krenicki Center for Business Analytics and Machine Learning Managing Director Elizabeth Jackson and Academic Director Mohit Tawarmalani gave details on the center’s experiential learning opportunities.
The Purdue University Research Center in Economics’ Ben Van Kammen, left, and Kevin Mumford told the audience about the center’s research on laws, regulations and government programs and how they affect the market economy and the well-being of individuals and society.
The afternoon opened with a welcome from Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean Jim Bullard.
The gathering offered participants a chance to learn about the research being conducted across the Daniels School’s centers, meet the people leading these efforts and explore ways to collaborate. Discussions covered research projects, student involvement and how organizations can work with the centers.
“We wanted this event to be able to pull back the curtain for our colleagues, alumni, donors and industry partners to understand what is going on at the Daniels School of Business,” said Mohit Tawarmalani, executive associate dean of strategy, research and innovation.
The Center for Behavioral Economics, Experiments and Public Policy, for example, uses controlled laboratory experiments and behavioral theory to study economic and business problems, including how people respond to different policies and incentives. The Center for Inflation and Price Research examines how prices respond to economic forces such as tariffs, while the Data Science Center for Decision Making applies data science, analytics and optimization to business challenges, including supply chain management.
Together, the centers demonstrate the breadth of research at the Daniels School, from understanding human behavior and economic conditions to using data and analytical tools to inform business decisions.
The centers also give students opportunities to work alongside faculty and industry partners, applying what they learn to projects that address real-world business questions.
“We are investing in the next generation of economists because we’re going to need their help so we can learn even more,” said Benjamin Van Kammen, associate director of the Purdue University Research Center in Economics.
The showcase underscored the connection between research and practice, bringing academic expertise to the challenges organizations face while giving researchers new questions to explore.
