Business and Entrepreneur Scholars in Training (BEST)

What is BEST?

The Business and Entrepreneur Scholars in Training (BEST) program, administered by the Manning School of Business, is an exciting possibility for business students to get research experience and foster valuable professional relationships with faculty members.

Participating in the Manning BEST pilot program provides students with a unique year-long opportunity to apply the knowledge gained from courses at UMass Lowell to a faculty member's ongoing research while enhancing their knowledge of research methods as well as technical and presentation skills. Working collaboratively with a faculty mentor enables students to gain a learning experience unlike any they will receive in a classroom. In the spring semester, students present their research at a student research symposium and may have the opportunity to submit their work for publishing in a journal or at an external conference.

Selected students will be awarded a $2,500 stipend to support their work.

Minimum Application Requirements

Before submitting an application to the BEST pilot program, students should meet the following requirements:

  • GPA of 3.250 or higher
  • Standing of Sophomore or Junior
  • Full-time undergraduate status
  • Must be returning to the Manning School of Business for undergraduate studies the following fall semester

For information on applying, contact Amit Deokar, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, at 978-934-5524 or email: Amit_Deokar@uml.edu. You can also visit the Undergraduate Research Opportunities and Collaborations website for more information about BEST and other undergraduate research programs.


BEST Scholars for the 2022-2023 Academic Year

  • Jennifer Lerman (Entrepreneurship)
    “Reserving capacity under limited demand risk protection" Faculty advisor: Belleh Fontem
  • Jasmine Mury (Marketing)
    “A contingent view of adaptive selling behaviors and compliance: Meta-analytic review studies" Faculty advisors: Ying Huang and Yuerong (Cindy) Liu
  • Nikita Sarin (Marketing and Analytics & Operations Management)
    “Community research: Observing employee use of walking trail" Faculty advisor: Kimberly Merriman
  • Sivmey Srin (Accounting and Management Information Systems)
    “Drawing marketing insights from analysis of online content" Faculty advisor: Ann Kronrod
  • Jinhua Yan (Entrepreneurship and Marketing)
    “The landscape of business education in U.S. colleges" Faculty advisor: Hongwei (Harry) Zhu