Advising & Mentorship

“Autonomy is not the absence of guidance, but the internalization of rigor.”

Approach

Mentor and co-investor, not supervisor

I train junior scholars not as research assistants on my projects, but as future peers developing their own independent research agendas. Students choose questions that excite them. I provide frameworks and diagnostic tools rather than prescriptive answers, and success is measured by their independent publications and placements.

Committed to demystifying the hidden curriculum of academia, providing explicit training in research design and job market preparation, and advocating for students in professional networks and placement processes.

“I view my time and attention as capital invested in students’ ideas. My role is to help maximize the return on their intellectual investment — through rigorous critique, strategic guidance, and professional development.”

Current advisees
Kyle McCullersUniversity of Michigan · Rackham Merit FellowSocial identity as competitive positioning; business owner activism
Joy Zhao ZhengINSEAD · Dissertation committee memberHuman–AI collaboration; AI’s reshaping of creative work
Doctoral placements
Susie ChoeUniversity of Minnesota, CarlsonDissertation chair
Brenda MyungSanta Clara UniversityDissertation chair
Dylan NelsonUniversity of IllinoisCommittee member
W. Reuben HurstUniversity of MarylandCommittee member
Derek LiefFordham UniversityCommittee member
Jusang LeeUSI Lugano & NYU ShanghaiCommittee member
Anne-Kathrin KronbergUNC CharlotteCommittee member
Wyatt Yong Wook LeeCornell UniversityExternal appraiser
Olivia Jung Yeon LeeCSU FullertonCommittee member
Vivek Kumar SundriyalGoa Institute of ManagementExternal appraiser
David TanJohns Hopkins CareyCommittee member
Adina SterlingColumbia Business SchoolCommittee member
Jivas ChakravarthyUniversity of Texas, ArlingtonCommittee member
Mehdi Ibn BrahimKU LeuvenCommittee member · SKEMA

In progress: Hong Chen (Michigan School of Information), pre-candidacy committee

Pre-doctoral
David ZavalaINCAE Business School · hosted at RossEnrolled, INSEAD doctoral program
Adriana Adames AcostaUMass Dartmouth · PREDOCEnrolled, George Washington University, Economics
Minqi SunUniversity of Michigan, MA Economics · EO LabIncoming PhD student, INSEAD
Luis-Bill PerezAmerican University · PREDOC · Sidley Prelaw ScholarJuris Doctor, University of Maryland Carey School of Law — Class of 2029
Imani BishopHoward University · PREDOCNFL and HBCU pipeline research; NBA analysis
Ananya MehrotraWhitman College · PREDOCUSA Gymnastics judging-equity analysis
Undergraduate & MBA
Lauren MacKeiganRoss BBA ’23 · ThesisGender and racial disparities in NIL deals — featured in Sports Business Journal
Robin BakerMBA ’24 · ThesisFirst-generation graduate student experience — informed Ross first-gen support
Caio MartinsRoss MBA ’26 · Independent studyHidden frictions of the MBA experience — featured in Poets & Quants, April 2026; his own essay there, August 2026
Elisa SimonBBA / Engineering ’24Bias in algorithms and decision-making systems
Beyond Michigan

Research training abroad

Research design and theory at INSEAD · Introduction to Research Methods at USI (Switzerland) and Michigan · Designing Empirical Research at SKEMA (France) · Empirical Project Design at UC3M (Spain) · Meritocracy & Organizations at Minnesota.

The Interactive Advising Library — decades of advising materials, seminar transcripts, and review templates made broadly accessible — is under development.

Working together

Students and collaborators

If you are interested in conducting research within our group, email me. Please state:

  1. Specific interests in my prior or ongoing projects.
  2. How you first learned about my work and its relevance to your goals.
  3. How you envision contributing to our current research initiatives.
riderci@umich.edu

Organizations

For a customized executive program in strategic leadership or equity analytics, or to request teaching cases, slides, and supplementary materials, email me directly.