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 LERA 28th Annual PhD Student Consortium

"Navigating Power, Precarity, and Possibility in Labor Scholarship
Careers, Communities, and Research in a Changing Global Context"

Saturday, May 30, 2026, 9:15 am - 12 pm

(Held in Conjunction with the LERA 78th Annual Meeting, May 28-31, 2026)

What to expect | RSVP | Supporting a Safe and Inclusive Conference Experience | Speaker Bios

The 2026 consortium is sponsored by contributions from:

Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Florida International University, College of Business
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management and IWER
Michigan State University, School or Human Resources and Labor Relations
Pennsylvania State University, School of Labor and Employment Relations
Rutgers University, School of Management and Labor Relations
The Industrial Relations Section at Princeton University
University of Toronto, Center for Industrial Relations and Human Resources
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Labor & Employment Relations
University of Minnesota, Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies

Thank you graphic 

 

28th PhD Student Consortium Co-Chairs:
Alex Busch Stefan Ivanovski Jianxuan Lei. Sumati Thusoo

Alex Busch
MIT Sloan

Stefan Ivanovski
Cornell University

Jianxuan Lei
University of Minnesota

Sumati Thusoo
Rutgers University

 

What to expect

The 2026 LERA PhD Student Consortium is designed as a supportive, inclusive, and intellectually substantive space for doctoral students in labor and employment relations and related fields. Building on lessons from past consortia, the 2026 program will emphasize breaking down hierarchical power dynamics between students and senior scholars, addressing precarity, uncertainty, and diversification in academic and non‑academic labor careers, decentering a purely U.S.-centric view of labor scholarship by foregrounding international and comparative perspectives and fostering peer networks, collaboration, and sustained community beyond the conference.

The consortium intentionally combines skills-based training, topical discussion, and peer-to-peer exchange, recognizing that PhD students at different stages have distinct but overlapping needs.

 

2026 LERA PhD Student Consortium Agenda

9 - 9:15 am:  Breakfast, Introduction, and Welcome

9:15 - 9:45 am: Session 1: Navigating power as a Young Academic/Junior Scholar/Early Career Scholar

9:45 - 10:15 am: Session 2: Topical Conversations in Labor Research

10:15 - 10:30 am: Break

10:30 - 11:30 am: Session 3: Jobs, Careers, and Professional Survival 

11:30 - 11:45 am: Wrap-up (and gather interest for the next PhD Consortium)

Evening activities to be determined.

RSVP

You will have the opportunity to RSVP to this event at the time that you register for the LERA 78th Annual Meeting, May 28-31, 2026, Minneapolis, Minnesota. If you are already registered and would like to attend this consortium, please contact [email protected] so it can be added to your registration.


Registration

The registration fee includes access to both the PhD Student Consortium and to the entire 4 days of LERA Annual Meeting.

Register at the 78th Annual Meeting homepage. For best price register by the early bird discount deadline, March 25, 2026. Registration fee is deeply discounted for LERA student members.

Reimbursement

Depending on fundraising, students attending the consortium may be reimbursed all or a portion of the student rate ($231) for their meeting registration fees following the conference. You will need to be present at the consortium and sign-in. Following the consortium, refunds will made to the card you used when you registered.

A Safe and Inclusive Conference Experience

At LERA, we’re committed to fostering a professional, respectful environment where every attendee feels safe and valued. Our Code of Conduct sets clear expectations for behavior, allowing all participants to focus on learning, networking, and collaboration.

A Guide to Safe and Inclusive Conference Engagement offers practical strategies to support meaningful connections, avoid uncomfortable situations, and foster an inclusive professional community (also check out "Navigating conferences post #MeToo" which appeared in the 2025 LERA Perspectives on Work).

If you witness or experience behavior that violates the Code, we encourage you to speak up. Anyone is welcome to discuss a situation with a LERA staff member, board member, or officer. To initiate an investigation, a complaint should be filed. Anyone with an active .edu email address also has free access to Project Callisto which provides resources for victims of sexual harassment, including a matching service to safely and confidentially find others harmed by the same perpetrator.

Speaker Bios