Leeds School Research Initiative for Global Business and Citizen Wellbeing

In 2025, Leeds announced a $3.85 million investment to launch the Leeds School Research Initiative for Global Business and Citizen Well-Being. We support research on research on how business and government regulatory systems around the world contribute to solution of universal social problems around: a) consumer financial decision making, & b) sustainability.

The premise of this initiative is that business – and government systems regulating business – can play a key role in solution to these social problems. Approaches are different around the world, and outcomes are different. As an example, countries around the world have very different systems around housing and mortgages and around , with very different outcomes. Countries have different initiatives to mitigate exposure to climate and environmental risks. What can we learn by comparing outcomes from the different approaches taken around the world?

The initiative builds on our existing interdisciplinary strength of faculty in our Center for Research and Consumer Financial Decision Making and our Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility.

Projects

Asaf Bernstein, with Gaudreault, Korevaar, and Koudijs (Erasmus). This project is the first to rigorously examine how homeowners use wealth generated by housing appreciation—do they reinvest gains into higher-quality housing or convert them into current consumption?

Tony Cookson and Michael Gropper, with Daniel Karpati (Erasmus). The project studies how cognitive decline increases vulnerability of older adults to financial fraud how they can be protected by proximity to family networks and local financial institutions.

Danielle Bovenberg, David Drake, and Jeff York, with Claudia Doblinger and Isabel Schöberl (Technical University of Munich). This project investigates the drivers of founder success in creating climate-tech ventures; the consequences of entrepreneurial entry for climate change and CO₂ emissions; and the economic and social impacts of renewable energy adoption.

Emily Gallagher and Nick Reinholtz, with Antonia Krefeld-Schwalb (Erasmus). This project studies whether households accurately perceive differences between them and their neighbors in risk of minor (versus major) flood damage, and how communication strategies can encourage cost-effective protection against substantial financial losses from flooding.

Upcoming Events
May 27-29, 2026, Leeds School of Business, ֲý, CO: ֲý Summer Conference on Consumer Financial Decision Making
June 7-10, 2026, Nanyang Business School, Singapore:

People

Postdoctoral Fellow:

(August 2026-July 2028), Tilburg University and Leeds School of Business
Key project: How Parental Transfers Shape Housing and Savings. Little is known about how parents step in to help adult children deal with predictable and unpredictable life events. Where do parents tend to pitch in, and how does this affect societal wealth inequality?

Faculty Affiliates:

Quentin Andre
Marketing

Asaf Bernstein

Asaf Bernstein
Finance

Steve Billings
Finance

Rodrigo Dias

Rodrigo Dias
Marketing

Headshot of Phil Fernbach

Phil Fernbach
Marketing

Emily Gallagher
Finance

Diego Garcia
Finance

Michael Gropper

Michael Gropper
Finance

Laura Kornish
Marketing

Ryan Lewis

Ryan Lewis
Finance

Donald Lichtenstein
Marketing

John Lynch

John Lynch
Marketing
Faculty Director

Headshot of Austin Moss

Austin Moss
Accounting

Nicholas Reinholtz, faculty

Nick Reinholtz
Marketing

Christophe Spaenjers
Finance

Ed van Wesep
Finance

Postdoctoral Fellow:
Fiori Anglou
(August 2025-December 2026), Leeds School of Business
Key project: Food Waste Bans. Several states have legislated food waste bans to reduce the large carbon impact of food waste. Why are the varying approaches having such different levels of success? Fiori will be taking a faculty position with the Nanyang Business School in January 2027.

Faculty Affiliates:

Simona Abis
Finance

Janet Bercovitz
Strategy

Asaf Bernstein
Finance

Sebastian Villa Betancur

Sebastian Villa Betancur
Operations

Danielle Bovenberg

Danielle Bovenberg
SEO

Matthew Brady

Matthew Brady
Information Systems

Mukund Chari

Mukund Chari
Strategy

Shaun Davies

Shaun Davies
Finance

David Dobolyi MS Business Analytics

David Dobolyi
Information Systems

Zach Donohew
Social Responsibility

David Drake

David Drake
Operations

Emily Gallagher

Emily Gallagher
Finance

Ashton Hawk
Strategy

Tony Kong

Tony Kong
Organizational Behavior

Marcia Kwaramba
SRS

Kai Larsen
Information Systems

Ryan Lewis

Ryan Lewis
Finance

Headshot of Austin Moss

Austin Moss
Accounting

Joshua Nunziato

Josh Nunziato
Social Responsibility

Ethan Poskanzer Headshot

Ethan Poskanzer
SEO

Sebastian Schuetz

Sebastian Schuetz
Information Systems

Nikki

Nikki Skinner
Accounting

Jason Thatcher Headshot

Jason Thatcher
Information Systems

Gloria Urrea

Gloria Urrea
SEO

Brian Waters
Finance

Jeffrey G. York

Jeff York
Strategy

Jenna Barrett
Tilburg University

Lisa Bruggen
University of Maastricht