The Chiu Centre for Business Serving Community fellows advance research on businesses that serve communities and the planet.
The Chiu Centre for Business Serving Community recently announced the recipients of their inaugural Chiu Centre Research Fellowships. The fellowships support five researchers across the University of Manitoba whose work explores how business can strengthen communities and address pressing social and ecological challenges.
“The application process was highly competitive, and I was impressed by the broad range of inspiring research projects on campus. I felt proud that the Chiu Centre could offer its support to some of them,” said Bruno Dyck, the Director of the Chiu Centre.
The fellowship recipients explore Indigenous food sovereignty, menstrual health in India, biodiversity action, wildfire resilience, and community-driven retail.
Dr. Kiran Pedada, Department of Marketing, Asper School of Business
In rural India, stigma and misinformation around menstruation lead approximately 20 percent of girls to drop out of school after their first period. Pedada’s research examines how new micro-entrepreneurs can help counter misinformation and provide appropriate sanitary products. Identifying the best practices has the potential to improve the socio-economic well-being of tens of millions of people in India’s rural communities.
Dr. Nahid Masoudi, Natural Resources Institute
Wildfires have caused significant financial and social devastation in northern Manitoba. Masoudi’s research examines how local business enterprises can lower wildfire risk and costs by reducing the “fuel” fires depend on by removing dead vegetation and combustible building materials. These enterprises also strengthen communities by creating local jobs and economic activity.
Dr. Raphael Ayambire, Department of City Planning, Faculty of Architecture
Ayambire’s study translates the findings of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) “Business and Biodiversity Assessment” to help businesses become agents of a sustainable future rather than drivers of ecological decline. The assessment shows that all businesses depend on and impact biodiversity, yet current economic and governance conditions misalign profitability and sustainability. His work explores how businesses can better benefit nature and society.
Dr. Miyoung Suh, Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
Suh’s project examines how a SMART (Sustainable, Monitored, Automated, Resilient, Technology-driven) vertical farming system can contribute to developing local sustainable, Indigenous-led food enterprises. The project will develop a replicable, scalable business framework that strengthens local economies, advances equity, and improves access to nutrient-dense, culturally appropriate foods.
Dr. Harsha Kamatham, Department of Marketing, Asper School of Business
Kamatham’s fellowship supports the early-stage development of community-based research on food, retail, and consumption behaviour in Indigenous and remote northern communities. The project lays the foundation for a larger research program on culturally responsive retail systems in Northern Canada, guided by UM’s Researching in Good Ways and Working in Good Ways frameworks.
The Chiu Centre for Business Serving Community supports and promotes research that examines business models that foster community, transform the culture of capitalism, and address social and ecological issues facing society. The fellowship is open to researchers in the UM community who look to addresses important social and ecological issues in ways that go beyond conventional business thinking.
We pursue sustainability in its many forms—societal, cultural, economic, environmental. Building a sustainable future is among the commitments you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.
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