Mazhar Islam

Mazhar Islam joined the faculty at Loyola’s College of Business as an Assistant Professor of Management in 2018. Before that, he spent three years as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the A.B. Freeman School of Business, Tulane University. He also served as an Assistant Professor at the LeBow College of Business, Drexel University, Philadelphia, and as a lecturer at Bruchsal International University in Germany. He earned his Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota.

Mazhar’s research lies at the intersection of entrepreneurship and strategic management, with a focus on the cooperative strategic choices of firms and collaborative innovation. Additionally, he examines the global business environment, studying how institutions and non-market forces shape national business contexts. His first book, titled "Demography and the Global Business Environment," co-authored with Alfred Marcus of the University of Minnesota, was published by Edward Elgar in Fall 2021. BookAuthority, a curator of books recommended by eminent business leaders and experts, included the book in the “20 Best Demography Books of All Time.”

His works have been published in journals such as the Journal of Business Venturing, Research Policy, and California Management Review. The MIT Sloan Management Review has also highlighted his research. One of his papers, co-authored with Minyuan Zhao, received the best conference paper award at the Annual Conference of the Strategic Management Society. Additionally, he is a recipient of the Schulze Publication Award for Outstanding Research Insight from the Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange (EIX).

At the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Mazhar was honored with the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He actively advises several startups and was part of STEM-Away, a San Francisco Bay Area startup aiming to democratize opportunities for students pursuing STEM careers.

Before transitioning to academia, Mazhar held diverse roles: a mining engineer, an international business development manager, an investment banker, and a consultant across several countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, Germany, and the USA. An avid traveler, he has explored more than 40 countries and has lived in China, Germany, India, Norway, and Thailand for extended durations. Originally from Bangladesh, he enjoys Louisiana cuisine and appreciates the warmth of southern hospitality.