2026 Migration and Organizations Conference
May 26-27, 2026
The Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
Jon M. Huntsman Hall, 8th Floor
3730 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
The premier gathering of scholars at the intersection of migration and organizations. Now in its eighth edition, this conference is designed to advance rigorous research and strengthen our community of scholars. We are a welcoming group open to all disciplinary and methodological approaches.
If you are interested in attending as a participant, please register using this form. Please note that spots are limited, and we will confirm your registration once we have verified availability.
Keynote Speakers
Amy Nice
Keynote Speaker, May 26
Bio
Amy Nice is Distinguished Immigration Counsel at the Institute for Progress and Distinguished Immigration Scholar at Cornell Law School. A leading thinker on STEM immigration, she focuses on using evidence-based research to develop practical solutions to immigration policy challenges, particularly at the intersection of emerging technologies, national security, economic opportunity, innovation, and global tech competition. She also served as a Visiting Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation.
After two decades of practicing immigration law, Amy has worked since 2010 on immigration policy, including service leading the Biden administration’s STEM immigration policy efforts as an Assistant Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy through January 2023. She holds a BA in Medieval History from Tulane University and a JD from George Washington University, and is the recipient of the 2023 Edith Lowenstein Award from the American Immigration Lawyers Association for her contributions to US immigration law.
Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury
Keynote Speaker, May 27
Bio
Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury is a Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a globally recognized expert on the future of work. Previously on the faculties at Wharton and Harvard Business School, his research examines how technology is reshaping where and how we work, with pioneering contributions on work-from-anywhere and the geography of work. Named to Forbes’ Future of Work 50 list and the TIME-Charter 30 list of thought leaders, his work has been covered by outlets including the BBC, Financial Times, and the New York Times. His book, The World is Your Office, became a national bestseller in 2025. He holds a doctorate from Harvard and degrees from IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta.
Schedule
Tuesday, May 26
8:00 AM
Breakfast and Welcome
Harker Hall
8:30 AM
Introductions
Robertson Hall
9:00 AM
Session One: Place, Demand, and Markets
Prices and Immigration: A Firm-Level Analysis
Ariel Weinberger, The George Washington University
The Demand Side of Immigration: How Product Categorization Impacts Consumer Selection of Foreign-Originating Products
Bryce Pyrah, University of Minnesota
The Global Value of Cities
Gavin Engelstad, Northwestern University
10:15 AM
Break
10:30 AM
Session Two: Immigration, Firm Investment, and Performance
Immigration and Firm Investment
Ararat Gocmen, University College London
Can Migration Barriers Save Firm Productivity in a Developing Country?
Zhangfeng Jin, Zhejiang University of Technology & Global Labor Organization
Immigration and Firm-level Upgrading as Exports Boosters in Developing Countries
Carlo Lombardo, Cornell University
Moving to Missed Opportunities: Addressing Retail Redlining in Segregated Cities
Prithwiraj Choudhury, London School of Economics
12:00 PM
Lunch and Keynote
Amy Nice, Cornell Law School
1:30 PM
Break
1:45 PM
Rapid Research Session
Fractured: How Forced Migration Disrupts Professional Identity and Undermines Job Satisfaction
Herrison Chicas, Georgia Institute of Technology
Importing Role Models and Collaborators? Chinese Immigrants and U.S. Women Patenting
Delia Furtado, University of Connecticut
When Value Meets Vulnerability: How Paradoxical Experiences of Immigrant Employees Shape Their Workplace Behaviors
Shveta Kaul, UNC-Chapel Hill
Peer Support, Organizational Contexts, and Community Engagement among Migrant Truck Drivers
Szymon Parzniewski, Dalhousie University
2:15 PM
Session Three: Innovation, Knowledge, and Global Talent Flows
Returnee Inventor, Knowledge Spillover and International R&D Collaboration
Sherry Xue, Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario
Geopolitical Tension and Immigrant Inventor Employment: Evidence from the U.S.–China Conflict
Huiyan Zhang, Tsinghua University
Migrant Employee Knowledge and Export Success: Evidence from Dutch Firms
Zhiling Wang, Erasmus University Rotterdam
3:30 PM
Break
3:45 PM
Session Four: Migrant Workers and the Workforce
Hitting the Pitch Running: Immigration, Human Capital, and Job Performance of New Hires
Aaron Aujla, London School of Economics
Opportunity across borders? Alleviating barriers to remote work for refugees
Emma Smith, Georgetown University
Workforce Reconfiguration in Residential Care: Opportunities, Risks and Future Directions – Migrant Workers in Focus
Amrithavally Thaivalappil Ramakrishnan, The University of Sheffield
Traversing Borders, Expanding Power: How Transnational Healthcare Professionals Elevate Their Status Amidst Ambiguous Credentials
Derek Richardson, Indiana University Bloomington
6:30 PM
Dinner
Wednesday, May 27
7:30 AM
Breakfast
8:30 AM
Session Five: Elites, Executives, and Managers
Redistributive Leadership under Immigrant CEOs: Elite Seat Allocation and Backlash at the Apex
Steffen Brenner, Copenhagen Business School
Capitalists Without Borders: Hedge Fund Activism and the Internationalization of the Corporate Elite
Michael Mueller, Copenhagen Business School
Executive Foreignness and Inherited Trust: A Cross-Level Perspective on Alliance Formation
Agnieszka Nowinska, Aalborg University Business School
Government Mandates, Ideological Alignment, and Manager Compliance: Evidence from the 2017 Muslim Ban
Ben Rissing, Cornell University
10:00 AM
Break
10:15 AM
Session Six: Immigrant Entrepreneurship
How Immigrant Founders Turn Generative AI into a Means of Host Market Adaptation
Ozan Kirtac, London School of Economics
Trade Liberalization and the Dynamics of Immigrant Entrepreneurship
Ashlee Li, Georgia Institute of Technology
Evading Entrepreneurship: How Social Capital Directs Financial Resources Among Marginalized Individuals
Inara Tareque, Columbia Business School
Firm Creation under DACA
Murad Zeynalli, Miami University (Ohio)
11:45 AM
Lunch and Keynote
Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury, London School of Economics and Political Science
All attendees will receive a copy of Prithwiraj Choudhury’s book “T” (Harvard Business Review Press)
1:15 PM
Closing Remarks
Main Program concludes
1:30 PM
Break
2:00 PM
Doctoral Consortium
5:30 PM
Program Concludes
Sponsors
