Griffith College's Graduate Business School Celebrates historic first as master's students present at 30th Irish Academy of Management Conference

Griffith College's Graduate Business School recently celebrated a landmark achievement as two postgraduate students, Leslie Valdez and Joshua Onunwor, became the first Master's graduates from the School to present their research at the prestigious Irish Academy of Management (IAM) Conference.

The 30th IAM Conference, held at Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, from 24 to 26 August 2026, brought together academics, researchers, and practitioners from across Ireland and beyond. Leslie and Joshua presented papers co-authored with their academic supervisor, Amogha Sudarshan, emerging from their Dissertation-by-Practice projects completed in collaboration with Kube Interiors and DigiFood NPD respectively.

Leslie Valdez (MSc in Global Brand Management) presented a three-panel Delphi study exploring the psychological, social, and financial drivers and barriers influencing Irish homeowners' adoption of kitchen solutions. Drawing on perspectives from consumers, Kube staff, and competitors, Leslie's project offered strategic recommendations to improve Kube's marketing, pricing transparency, and customer engagement.

Joshua Onunwor (MSc in International Business Management) examined IoT-enabled food traceability for Irish agri-food SMEs. His research drew comparisons with international implementation challenges, including insights from New Zealand's agri-food sector, and offered recommendations for stakeholders across the supply chain.

Both students described the experience as transformative, meeting and liaising with other academics. Leslie shared: "I arrived at the conference incredibly nervous. As a Master's graduate, I genuinely wasn't sure whether I would fit into an environment surrounded by professors, PhD candidates and experienced researchers. What initially felt quite intimidating became a very welcoming and inspiring experience. It gave me more confidence in seeing that there is space for early-career researchers and Master's graduates to contribute to those conversations."

Joshua added: "Although having just a Master's Degree, I often found myself having seamless conversations with PhD holders and candidates including business heads of faculties about varieties of topics which was really encouraging and deconstructed my archaic notion of academic conferences and settings. Thank you, Amogha, for facilitating this opportunity and pushing me to explore the many possibilities that research and academia has."

The Dissertation-by-Practice is an innovative academic pathway that allows students to address real-world industry challenges through applied research, bridging academic rigour with commercial application. This year's presentations showcased high-impact insights developed in partnership with industry collaborators.

We acknowledge Amogha Sudarshan, academic supervisor to both learners, for her efforts and guidance in helping students translate complex business challenges into credible, actionable research. We are equally grateful to Aine McManus, Head of Faculty, and Jonathan Creasy, Dissertation Coordinator, for their valued leadership and support throughout these projects.

This milestone reflects the Graduate Business School's continued commitment to embedding experiential, industry-relevant learning into its postgraduate programmes and making research accessible and impactful from day one. 

Our congratulations to Leslie Valdez and Joshua Onunwor for their outstanding contributions and for putting Griffith College on the map at Ireland's premier management research conference!