Biography

Ikenna Uzuegbunam, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Management at the Howard University School of Business, Washington DC, USA. He previously taught as a tenured professor at Ohio University, where he was the Director of the One-Year MBA program. Over the past two decades, he has developed and taught entrepreneurship, strategy and international business courses at various universities such as American University, Loyola University Maryland, University of Kentucky, and Ball State University. Prof. Uzuegbunam is a seasoned educator and has earned teaching honors from the University of Kentucky MBA program, 3E Innovative Entrepreneurship Education Competition, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

His areas of research expertise include entrepreneurship, strategy and international business. His research examines how entrepreneurial firms navigate their resource and institutional environments in their quest to generate economic, social and environmental impact. His recent studies focus attention on the cultural forces facing social ventures, community-based ventures and clean energy ventures. He often conducts his studies in under resourced contexts such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, his research inquiries intersect with critical societal issues of culture, gender, inequality, poverty, and sustainability.

His research publications have appeared in leading entrepreneurship, management and transdisciplinary journals such as Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Journal of Cleaner Production, Journal of International Business Policy, Journal of International Management, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development and Small Business Economics. He has received several research honors. He is the 2023 Howard University School of Business Excellence in Research Award Recipient. Additional honors include 2023 Nominee for the Strategic Management Society Annual Conference Responsible Research Paper Prize; 2019 Nominee for the Carolyn B. Dexter All Academy of Management Award for Best International Paper; 2019 Finalist for Academy of Management – International Management Division Best Paper in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Award.

Prof. Uzuegbunam is a founder of Kuluno Venture Partners LLC, a strategy consulting and venture development startup. He is also a director at Barnyard Farms Ltd. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering (Honors) degree in Electronic Engineering from University of Nigeria, Nsukka, a Master's of Science degree in Technology and Innovation Management from University of Sussex, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management. He was born in Southeastern Nigeria. He and his family live in suburban Maryland. He is an amateur tenor and traditional African drummer.