Each year, the Mack Institute provides fellowships for students and early-career researchers interested in innovation management. This includes a two-year predoctoral program for recent graduates and semester-long research assistantships for current Wharton and Penn students. Occasionally, we have sponsored postdoctoral students.
Research Assistantships
Through Research Assistantship, current Wharton and Penn students can work closely with our faculty and funded researchers on topics relevant to current innovation challenges. Participants strengthen their analytical, decision-making, and leadership skills while gaining research and practical experience. The Mack Institute offers fellowships for both individuals and teams throughout the academic year. Students interested in participating will take part in an application process.
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Recent Project Topics Include:
- Generative AI and Creativity
- Commercialization of Healthcare Technology
- Supply Chain Managment
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
- Corporate Venturing
- Innovation Ecosystems
- Health and Performance of Open-Source Software (OSS) Communities
- Electric and Autonomous Vehicles
Mack Predoctoral Fellowship
Through our predoctoral program, recent undergraduates receive sponsorship to work closely with Wharton professors on research projects. Fellowships last two years and are based on Wharton’s Philadelphia campus. The program is an excellent choice for students who want to strengthen their academic and research credentials before applying to competitive Ph.D. programs. Applications for predoctoral fellowships are opened as they become available. You can find and apply for any open positions on the Careers at Penn web portal.
Current Predoctoral Fellows
Xinbo Steve Bao
Steve Bao is a predoctoral fellow in the Management department at the Wharton School. He works on projects related to entrepreneurship, human capital, multi-national corporation, and strategic alliances. He received an M.A. in Economics from Duke University and an B.A. In Economics and Statistics from Boston University. Outside of academia, he enjoys film and basketball.
Michelle Borges
Michelle Borges holds a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Massachusetts Boston and has contributed to impactful research at institutions such as the UNESCO Chair on Women, Development, and Cultures, the Levy Economics Institute, and the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy. As the current President of Fundraising for the Brazil Conference at Harvard & MIT, she leads efforts for an annual event dedicated to showcasing transformative Brazilian projects and fostering critical discussions on Brazil’s future. Her research interests focus on Labor Economics, the Economics of Education, and Development Economics.
Lennart Meincke
Lennart Meincke’s research at Wharton focuses on evaluating the efficacy of generative AI in operations management, such as generating novel product ideas, under the guidance of Dr. Christian Terwiesch. He also works on educational simulations and building a large social science coefficient database, supervised by Dr. Andrew M. Carton. At Penn Engineering, he collaborates with Dr. Stephen Lane on developing novel augmented reality applications, including surgical navigation tools. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and other media outlets.
Originally from Germany, he is passionate about programming (with or without AI), reverse engineering, and modifying video games like Grand Theft Auto 5. He also serves as an advisor to industry, helping refine generative AI strategies, and has been running his own small software company for many years. He holds an undergraduate degree in computer science and business administration from Nordakademie (Germany) and two graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, in Liberal Arts (School of Arts and Sciences) and Computer Graphics (School of Engineering and Applied Sciences).
Juan Andres Russy
Juan Andres Russy is a predoctoral fellow for professors in the economics and marketing department working on topics of industrial organization, market design and media economics.
Yuyang Wang
Yuyang works with Prof. Arthur van Benthem and Prof. Susanna Berkouwer on topics in environmental and development economics in Wharton’s Business Economics and Public Policy Department (BEPP) department. His research focuses on the efficiency and distributional impacts of environmental policies and practices. He received an M.A. in Social Sciences, B.A. in Economics, B.S. in Mathematics, and B.A. in Statistics from the University of Chicago.