Ayaj Rana

Welcome! I am a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR), advised by Professors Adam Seth Litwin, Forrest Briscoe, JR Keller, and Michael Maffie. 

My dissertation, "The Professional's Prerogative in Algorithmic Organization of Work: Identity, Authority, and Relational Realignment," contributes to organizational theory through three papers studying platform-based independent professionals across occupations. I work both qualitatively and quantitatively, often pairing interviews with original surveys in a sequential mixed-methods design.  

My research has received the Academy of Management (AOM) Best Paper Award, AOM OB Division's Award for Outstanding Paper with Practical Implications for Management, and Cornell ILR School's Benjamin Miller Award.  

At Cornell, I also serve as a Graduate Resident Fellow in Alice Cook House, mentoring undergraduates and supporting its living-learning programs.

Before Cornell, I earned a Master of Public Policy (MPP) at Georgia State University's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies as a Fulbright student and studied high-tech entrepreneurship as a Georgia Innovative Economic Development Intern at Georgia Tech's Enterprise Innovation Institute. 

I began my academic career as a faculty member in the Department of Development Studies at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, teaching across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs while consulting on project management for private- and public-sector organizations. 

Outside work, I enjoy walks with my three-year-old daughter, following U.S. and Bangladeshi politics, and unwinding with cricket, badminton, soccer, and photography.