Academy of Management Names Prof. Julia DiBenigno a Rising Star
DiBenigno, whose field research illuminates the sociology of work and occupations, is the first winner of the Ned Smith Rising Star Award.
Julia DiBenigno, professor of organizational behavior, is the first winner of the 2023 Ned Smith Rising Star Award, presented by the Organization and Management Theory Division of the Academy of Management. The award recognizes a scholar “who has established a research record of exceptional quality and creativity early in their career.”
DiBenigno received the award, which will be presented every two years, at the Academy of Management’s annual meeting earlier this month.
“As an individual, the recipient of the OMT Ned Smith Rising Star award has influenced the field of organizational and management theory through bridging academic disciplines and spanning boundaries between research traditions, scholarly conversations, or between different societal stakeholder groups,” the organization said in the announcement. “In addition to their own stellar research and publications, the award winner has made a strong impression on the next generation of organization and management scholars through their outstanding mentoring, advising and encouragement.” The award is named for Ned Smith of Northwestern University, who passed away in 2021, early in his own career.
DiBenigno joined the Yale SOM faculty in 2016 after completing her doctorate at MIT Sloan School of Management and was promoted to professor of organizational behavior in 2023. An organizational ethnographer and field researcher, her research focuses on the sociology of work and occupations, collaboration between professional groups, upward influence and voice, and change in organizations.