I attended the 2026 Academy of Management (AOM) Annual Meeting , held in Philadelphia, USA, with the support of funding from the S&P department of NUS Business School. As the largest annual gathering of management scholars worldwide, the conference provided valuable opportunities to receive feedback on my doctoral research, present ongoing work, and engage with scholars working on related topics.

A major highlight of this year’s conference was my participation in the Strategic Management (STR) Division Doctoral Consortium. I had the opportunity to discuss my dissertation research on startups pursuing acquisitions with faculty mentors and other doctoral students. In particular, I received useful feedback on how to sharpen the theoretical positioning of the dissertation, articulate its contribution relative to research on acquisitions by established firms, and further develop the individual dissertation chapters. These discussions were particularly valuable as I continue to develop this new stream of research.

I also presented my paper, “Career Similarity and Post-Acquisition Employee Outcomes in Technology M&A,” coauthored with Dr Weiyi Ng and Prof. Lisa Tang, in an AOM paper session. The presentation generated helpful questions and feedback that will inform the continued development of the paper. We were also very honored that the paper received two recognitions: the STR Division Distinguished Paper Award (Resources, Capabilities, and Strategic Factor Markets Track) and inclusion in the Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings . These recognitions were especially encouraging and provided further motivation as we continue to develop the study.

In addition, another paper coauthored with Dr. Weiyi Ng, examining career entry across the technology cycle in the fintech industry, was presented in the symposium “Career Mobility and Advancement Within and Across Organizations.” The symposium brought together research examining career mobility and advancement from different perspectives, and the discussion provided useful insights for further developing our work.

I also attended other paper sessions, symposia, and professional development activities related to corporate strategy, acquisitions, strategic human capital, entrepreneurship, and careers, which provided exposure to new research and opportunities to engage with scholars working in these areas.

Overall, attending the 2026 AOM Annual Meeting was highly beneficial for my doctoral development. The conference allowed me to receive substantive feedback on both my dissertation and ongoing collaborative research, present and discuss my work with the broader academic community, and learn from current research across my areas of interest. I am grateful for the support from my department and the university, which made it possible for me to participate in this important academic event.