Ussama Ahmad Khan
Doctoral Student
Contact
Ussama Ahmad Khan
Doctoral Student
ussama@uw.edu
Department of Management and Organizations
Foster School of Business - University of Washington
About
I am a doctoral candidate completing my dissertation in Organizational Behavior at the Foster School of Business. My research program seeks to understand how some of the most pressing challenges we face in the world today (for example, climate change, poverty, and slavery) impact people's lives. I explore how people navigate trauma, adversity, and poverty and the transformational role of receiving dignity, gratitude, and compassion in how they cope with these challenges to become compassionate and inspirational work and community leaders. I care deeply about the role of organizations in addressing these challenges and working towards a better future for everyone. I am on the 2022-23 academic job market. A link to my recent CV can be found here. My statement of research can be found here. A short (~1 minute) overview of my dissertation can be found in the video below.
In my dissertation, I use a relational lens to explore the role of respect, selflessness, and support in how microfinance organizations can become more effective in helping low-income entrepreneurs to heal from the social, emotional, and cognitive effects of poverty. For this research, I focus on Akhuwat, Pakistan’s largest microfinance organization that charges zero interest on its loans and aims to eradicate poverty through compassion, equity, and dignity. In Study 1, I conducted over 40 interviews with Akhuwat borrowers and key stakeholders. Using emerging insights from the interviews of the lives of the poor, I am currently conducting a field experiment. This research has the potential to change the landscape of the microfinance industry in Pakistan and other developing countries and has important implications for how organizations conceptualize helping the poor. This work won the inaugural RRBM Dare to Dare Dissertation Scholarship award.
I received my BSc. in Accounting and Finance from the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan and my Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to starting my doctoral program, I worked as a Lecturer in School of Management in the Information Technology University in Pakistan and as a volunteer in the non-profit space.
In my dissertation, I use a relational lens to explore the role of respect, selflessness, and support in how microfinance organizations can become more effective in helping low-income entrepreneurs to heal from the social, emotional, and cognitive effects of poverty. For this research, I focus on Akhuwat, Pakistan’s largest microfinance organization that charges zero interest on its loans and aims to eradicate poverty through compassion, equity, and dignity. In Study 1, I conducted over 40 interviews with Akhuwat borrowers and key stakeholders. Using emerging insights from the interviews of the lives of the poor, I am currently conducting a field experiment. This research has the potential to change the landscape of the microfinance industry in Pakistan and other developing countries and has important implications for how organizations conceptualize helping the poor. This work won the inaugural RRBM Dare to Dare Dissertation Scholarship award.
I received my BSc. in Accounting and Finance from the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan and my Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to starting my doctoral program, I worked as a Lecturer in School of Management in the Information Technology University in Pakistan and as a volunteer in the non-profit space.
